Oncoming Storm
by knox1909
Summary: If you once had everything you wanted in your grasps but then lose it all in the next second, what would you do when a demon shows up and said to you: 'I will let you fix all your mistakes, but great sacrifices will be made...'. Of course you'd say yes, which is exactly what Luffy had done. Follow him and someone new as he alter his life and relive as... a girl? PS:OP slight OOC.
1. Chapter 1: Tale of the Beginning

**Hello all readers! Please enjoy my fanfic and just a warning there will be OCs. Hope you enjoy the story! PS: Give reviews, the more the better. (helpful ones are the best)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece**

* * *

 **TALE OF THE BEGINNING**

'I will give you another chance…' Its voice slithered down his ear as its blurry, shadow-like body wrapped around his own. The demon continued with its lucid voice that seemed to be dissipating through time, 'But great sacrifices will be made…' The memory flickered. 'Give me your most cherished memories…' Its black, bony hand reached forward…

Emptiness…

A voice of a woman echoed, 'In nine years' time, we will meet again…' He could still make out her desperate call as her silver hair flew in the unnatural wind. She was someone he had cared for, he tried to reach for her out stretched hand but the wind, like something conscious, were pulling them apart…

Sorrow…

'Luffy!' The voices were small, almost inaudible but he knew they were real, calling out for him in absolute distress. Why couldn't he reach to them? He felt chained with guilt of the past, feeling like a feather in the wind, being pulled along with the flow, unable to do anything. So useless, so helpless. They were all the people he loved and now, they seemed non-existent. He couldn't even remember their name their faces, all were taken away with the decay of time.

Regret… It was all he had felt.

The little girl woke up, panting, sweating, feeling like a thousand weights were on her shoulders. The nightmares of her past had come to haunt her again last night. Luffy rubbed her eyes as if she was trying to rub the horrible images out of them and ran a hand through her messy jet black hair. She had seen more than one her age was supposed to see.

Luffy climbed off the bed and landed on the ground quietly.

'LUFFY!' A raspy voice that she knew oh-so-well echoed from under her feet and she could feel the beating of his foot against the rickety wooden staircase. The shout almost made her jump through the roof. Luffy paled, climbed back into the bed and, wrapping the blanket around her body like it was going to make her invisible, she stayed quiet. It was not like her to keep quiet but the man that was coming for her was worse than a wild beast. The man was her grandfather.

She could feel her blood pump as the door slammed open and at every step of the Marine hero, her heart nearly jump out of her chest. She could hear the man cooed for her but she ignored it. When she suddenly felt a strong hand hoist the blanket –including her – into the air, did Luffy begin to squirm and shout. 'Let me go! Let me down! Jii-chan!'

'Oh, hello to you too, Luffy.' Garp boomed happily. Luffy poked her head out through the covers and pouted at her grandfather. She didn't want to go on another 'marine excursion' or training trip with Garp if that was what he wanted.

The little seven year old girl wriggled out of his grip and landed on the ground with a light thud. She climbed on the bed, grabbed her hat and stood up on the mattress in order to look eye to eye with her grandfather, 'Are you going to try to take me to another marine base? Cause I won't be going!' She said as she stuck out her tongue childishly.

Garp chuckled and picked her up with one hand, 'So what have you been doing lately? It's been so long since I met you. Two years was it?' He mused at how his granddaughter has grown. Luffy grinned and grabbed onto her hat. 'Grandpa…'

He nodded in response to her call.

'I've decided… I won't be another pirate on the sea.' Luffy continued with a smile. This, of course, nearly made Garp go to heaven with joy, but then, the next sentence will definitely pull him down to the depths of hell. 'I'll become the Pirate Queen instead!' She cheered, pumping out her fist.

'What…' He looked down, a shadow covered his face as an intimidating air surrounded him, 'DO YOU MEAN YOU STUPID GRANDDAUGHTER?!' Then he exploded his face red with anger. Seeing what was going to come for her if she stayed in his grip (most likely being squished to death), Luffy squirmed out of his hand and began running like her life was on the line.

The small ball of excitement slid down the railing of the wooden staircase and landed on the first floor. She banged through the door and into the bar where she faced with Makino, the barmaid, who was cleaning the tables (even though no one ever comes to the bar anyways). The woman shot Luffy a questioning look and, like always, the girl returned it with a grin. 'Got to go! The next time you want to see me, go to the Dadan Family!' The girl waved goodbye and slid under the bar entrance.

Makino didn't even have time to register what the child just said when she heard banging echoed from the stairs. Garp jumped into the room the same way Luffy had done and demanded loudly, 'Where is she?!'

Makino pointed to the door, finally understanding what was happening. She smiled. The cat-and-mouse chase between Garp and Luffy had become some kind of tradition every time they meet. Garp charged outside, nearly shattering the bar's door into splinters.

Luffy had run half way through the Fushia village when she pretty much charged into Mayor Woop Slap. She bowed in apology and took off again but something pulled the collar of her sleeping dress back. The little girl clutched her throat as she was hoisted into the air. The man asked, 'Where are you going?'

'Away from Jii-chan.' Luffy replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. The mayor sighed, the grip on her dress tightened.

'If you're going to play cat-and-mouse with Garp, at least do it in normal clothes.'

'Who said I'm not wearing normal clothes?' Luffy stuck out her tongue and squirmed out of her sleeping dress, revealing a pair of shorts and a maroon tank top. Woop Slap sighed again; his gaze followed the girl as she ran off again, her hand on her hat. A moment later, he heaved another sigh, this one slightly longer – he couldn't help it, after all – as the towering figure of Garp darted by.

* * *

The two lone figures treaded through the hectic forest. Their shouts muffled by the rustling of trees, the growls of beasts, the humming of insects… It was a dangerous forest for one to travel through taking account to its multiple gigantic 'residents'. The older man had short grey hair, a distinctive crescent shaped scar around his left eyes and was dressed in a formal black suit that doesn't, in anyway, fit his characteristic. He was holding onto the little boy-like girl by her stretchy cheek.

'I can't believe it!' He boomed, his voice shaking the earth. 'Not only did you make friend with that wretched Red-Haired kid, you also ate a Devil's Fruit!?'

Luffy didn't really know if it was a question or a scold but she answered it anyways, 'Yeah, so?'

'SO?' He raised her into eye height and shouted, 'You will not play with PIRATES when you are a MARINE!'

'But I'm not a Marine.' Luffy crossed her arms and sulked. The older man lowered his hand to his side once again but, like a child who lost his candy, still grumbled with irritation. Luffy snickered quietly. She was having a great day, despite the appearance of Garp. She was going to meet Ace and adding it with the success in changing fate a few days ago, it was very thrilling indeed. Three days ago, the thing with the bandits happened. Of course, she beat them up on her own this time. It was hard at first though, controlling the Gomu-Gomu no mi's powers. Still, and sadly, Higuma carried her off (that damned bandit) and took her to the sea. He was about to throw her off when the Lord of the Coast appeared and snatched the stupid bandit from the boat. The Sea King bowed to her and left (Luffy didn't know why but after she became the Pirate King in her last life, all Sea Kings could talk to her and treated her with respect). Shanks swam in after that and asked her what happened. She spilt the truth, of course, but he told her to not tell that to anyone else or no the Marine would try to kidnap her. He still gave her his hat like in the last life and they still did their promise.

'What are you grinning about?' Garp asked, snapping her out of her little flashback. She shook her head with a smile and uttered, 'Nothing.'

Garp chuckled, 'You might me better at lying than two years ago but you still can't lie to me, brat.' Luffy grumbled slightly, crossed her hands and turned away with a pout. She replied, 'I was thinking about how annoying Jii-chan is!' She stuck out her tongue teasingly, making a few veins pop in Garp's forehead.

'I might make you do another training session if you keep being stubborn like this! Now that you can't swim anymore, I might trying and teach you how to fly.' Garp said, a hand on his chin. Luffy cringed slightly; she _did not_ want to know what he was thinking. The Marine Vice-admiral continued, 'How about we try tying you to some balloons and see how far you can stay afloat?'

'You must know how deadly that sounds, right? Jii-chan?' The little girl paled about three shades as she stated. She looked as her grandfather boomed out laughing, 'It's a great idea, I might try it with Ace too!'

They stopped in front of the broken down hut that Luffy knew oh-so-well and Garp released her from his grip. Despite her released, Luffy climbed back onto Garp, specifically, onto his head. Her legs hung on his shoulders and her hands wrapped around his forehead. She rested her chin on his head as he slammed on the door. It was her privilege, to be able to sit on Garp; after all, he liked doting his granddaughter.

The wooden door banged open. It was good that it was opened; Luffy thought that if Garp were to continue banging on it, it would shatter. A face she knew by heart was at the door, still the same thick lips that were always holding onto a cigarette, the same unkempt curly ginger hair and that same angry scowl which she had faced so much before; it was Dadan, her foster mother. The woman shouted, 'It's so annoying! Who's the reckless daredevil!?'

Garp loomed forward, letting a shadow fall on his face, making him look rather menacing. 'It's me.' It might not seem like so but the words that came from his mouth could probably make some criminals cry for their mothers.

In a matter of seconds, Dadan's face turned from red to blue. She scrambled back, away from the doorsteps, her face painted with fear and shock. She managed to stutter, 'G-Garp-san!'

Luffy observed with amusement as the curtains behind Dadan opened, revealing to other similar faces, Dogra and Magra. Dogra was, like always, small, his voice was weird and it makes her want to laugh but she knew that that would be rude. Magra still had his chicken-like looks and tall stature just like she had remembered him to be. They too wore the expression Dadan had on her face. 'Ehhh!?'

Garp loosened his glare and leaned back, chuckling loudly, 'Well, you seem to be doing well!'

Dadan shouted, not feeling like welcoming Garp at all, 'You've got to be kidding me! I wish you'd just leave me alone for a change!' She threw her arms into the air dramatically. 'Ace is already ten, you know!'

At the mention if Ace, Luffy couldn't even stop squirming. Garp took a hand to hold her down while laughing contently, 'Is he? Has it been that long? How is he doing?' He said with a tinge of curiosity in his voice.

Dogra whined, his face even more exasperated than it already has been, 'It's no laughing matter! We could barely contain him nowadays! Just take him with you already!' Magra stood in the background, nodding enthusiastically.

Ignoring both of the other's whines, Garp continued nonchalantly, 'Anyways-' He was cut off by a shout. 'Don't just change the subject like that!' The petit man jumped in anger.

Luffy, who had gotten bored with the comedy act of the four adults, reached out her hand and began to pull on the corner of Garp's mouth. The Marine Hero directed his attention to the little girl on his shoulders and shot her a curios glance. She pouted adorably with her big chocolate eyes, 'Where's Ace?'

Garp took her off his shoulders and put her next to him, wrapping his hand around hers so she wouldn't run away. He pointed to the girl with a smile, 'Take care of her too.'

The girl only grinned and waved at them in return. It had seemed like the two was conspiring with each other since the beginning as the girl was so committed. Dadan and Dogra couldn't even register what happened when Magra stepped in and asked, a hand scratching the back of his neck, 'Who is that kid?'

'She's my granddaughter.'

The trio was frozen for a second, then they bellowed with a voice that could probably reach the Royal Palace of the Goa Kingdom. 'WHHAAAT!?'

'That's a girl?!' Dadan said, her mouth opened so wide you that fitting a buffalo inside it would be done with ease.

* * *

They sat in a praying position with their knees on the ground and their heels supporting their body. The three bandits looked up to the towering Marine like guilty children looking up at their scolding parents. Though their face was pale and devoid of hope, they still had a certain determination in their eyes. The trio said simultaneously, 'Not happening!'

'Then, you'll have to make a decision.' The looming figure spoke, his intimidating posture overflowing with authority. 'Either you take care of her… or you can spend the rest of your life behind bars.'

The determination left them immediately, kind enough to not even leave a trace of its existence. The bandits' muscles tensed up and cold sweat broke on the surface of their skin. The man continued as if to torture them after alarming their misfortune, 'I've turned a blind eye so far but you committed as many crimes as there are stars in the sky.'

The edge of Dogra's mouth could not go any further down, if he continued frowning, no one would be surprised if his mouth broke into two pieces. 'No way…' he said, taking the words out of his comrades' mouth. They all felt as if they had ended up in the worst game of _would-you-rather_ , in a literal sense, of course.

Magra thought aloud, 'Well it's true we don't want to go to prison…'

'But sometimes it actually seems tempting.' Dogra finished his sentence. He continued, his voice sounded like he was walking in hell itself, 'Our hands are full with just Ace!'

'And now, you want us to take care of your grandchild too…' Dadan said, her voice trailing off as she imagined how her life would be like with another 'Ace'. You know what? She didn't even want to see a glimpse of that horrid-ness. Dadan pointed to the hyperactive child, who was running across her front yard, and said with a weep, 'I'm sure that kid is as much of a monster, isn't she?'

'Ossan, you look like a monster too.' Luffy's sweet voice echoed from above, making all of the four adults glance up. She had, somehow, found her way to the roof of the hut and was lying in her belly, her head on her palms.

'I'm not a man!' Dadan shouted. It took her a while, though, to fully understand what Luffy had just said. She jumped to her feet and retorted even more loudly, 'I'M NOT A MONSTER!'

Garp chuckled silently and waved for the girl to come down, he raised his hands in the air as if to indicate that he would catch her. Luffy stood up, wiped away the dust on her clothes and jumped onto her grandfather, nearly pushing him over. She poked her head out from under his arms, looked over his shoulders and said happily, 'That was fun, let's do it again!'

The ginger woman fell on her head, 'She's not even listening!' Dogra and Magra ran to her side and tried to pull her out of the ground. Luffy watched with an amused expression. Then, suddenly remembering her urge to jump off the roof again, she scaled her grandfather like she was trying to climb a mountain. She stopped on the top of his head, a foot on his forehead as the other search for a footing on the wall.

'Don't use me as a footstool!' Garp shouted, a vein appearing on his forehead. He used his hand to grab the girl and pushed her onto his shoulder as if to tell her to stay where he could 'keep her under control'. The girl stuck out her tongue in disapproval but stayed still anyways, letting her legs swing on his shoulder. Getting rather bored staying in one place for a while, Luffy began to take out the surviving black strands on the back of Garp's neck. His entire head was nearly turned white by now; the number of black hair still stationed on his head could be counted in a few easy hundreds.

She was cheerfully messing with her grandfather's hair – making it into weird shapes and things- when she felt something approaching her with her Haki. Luffy dodged to a side unconsciously, allowing the tiny puddle of sticky substance meet contact with Garp's hair. She jumped off immediately and pointed to the source of the spit that was now on the Marine Vice-admiral's head, Ace.

Ace was still the same as he used to be, slightly dark complexion with black hair and eyes. A pool of freckles decorated his cheeks, giving him a look naught that compensated for his usual scowl. Of course, at this current moment he was not angry, he was terrified. Garo turned around, a deadly glare on his face. 'Who… did… THAT!?'

At every word, Luffy could see Ace jolt. He wanted to run but he possibly couldn't. Luffy turned to the boy immediately, announcing, 'He did it.'

Ace freaked, 'It wasn't my fault! It was his fault for dodging it!' He pointed to the younger girl, who he surely thought was a boy, and said accusingly. Knowing his unreasonable logic would not work, Ace jumped off the ox's carcass that he was sitting on and scrambled off. Garp followed closely behind the boy, shouting, 'Come back here, you brat!'

* * *

 _ **An hour later**_

'Ace, meet Luffy. Luffy, meet Ace.' Garp said cheerily, showing the two children to each other. Ace was barely recognisable though, bruised covered his face and a bandage was wrapped around his forehead. He had suddenly found the corner of the house rather interesting and stayed quiet as he stared at it. Not even bothering to care about what anyone thinks, Garp continued, 'He is three years older than you and from now on, you'll be living with these guys.'

'Okay.' Luffy said immediately, nodding all the way. The bandits' jaws dropped. 'YOU JUST DECIDED THAT ON YOUR OWN?' They all screamed in unison.

'I'm sure you'll all get along fine!' Garp beamed as he rose to his feet, he's got other things to do other than deal with nanny bandits.

'You think this is settled?' The residents of the Dadan family jumped to their feet and shouted irritatingly. Only to receive a death-glare from Garp that nearly made them pee their pants. His voice rumbled, 'What?'

They immediately retreated from their mutiny, lined up and saluted him like soldiers, 'We'll take care of it!'

'Then my business here is done.' Garp said as he twisted the rust doorknob. Then, he stop midway through the door and said, 'I'll visit when I have free time.'

Magra stepped forward and said hesitantly, 'What about child support?' He said while playing with his fingers nervously. Garp thought at the top of his head for a moment then said beamingly, 'Put it on my tab!'

Dadan grumbled under her breath, 'This ain't a bar, you know…' It was barely audible but everyone knows how excellent Garp's hearing is, right? 'Huh?' He asked threateningly, making everyone shudder in fear. Dadan immediately slapped on her smile and waved at him happily, 'You're always welcomed here!'

As soon as Garp got out of sight, she collapsed weeping. Like always, Dogra and Magra helped her to her feet and she shouted loudly in tears of anger, 'Go cook something already!'

Luffy sat at the corner, fidgeting slightly as she watched the men scramble around the hut, cleaning, cooking, fighting, it was certainly as chaotic as she remembered it to be. A few minutes later, Dadan came out of the kitchen carrying a gigantic basket of meat which was piled up like a mountain. Seeing the meat, even though badly cooked, Luffy couldn't help but drool.

'Eat up!' She announces, slamming the entire basket down. The moment it touched the ground, the bandits lunged forward, fighting each other for the food like wild beasts. Luffy was the first one to reach the food though, her many years of running had helped her beat them with ease. She kicked off any one who dared to approach her and walked off safely with a handful of meat on bones. Luffy stationed next to Dadan who was sitting by the fire place in the middle of the room and chugged down her food, meat, rice, bone and all, like they were water.

'I need more food, old man! Oops, I meant woman.' Luffy said as she pulled Dadan's pants, picking out the things stuck in her teeth along the way.

'I'm not old!' Dadan said angrily, then comprehending what the girl had just said, she retorted, 'And fixing that mistake makes it even more annoying!' Luffy ignored her words and continued eating.

'Girl, don't you realise where you've been left?' Dadan threatened, shouting into Luffy's face.

'Your spit is getting onto my food!' Luffy said while hugging her food protectively, she continued after looking straight into Dadan's eyes 'and no, I don't realise I've been left. Probably a foul den of a bunch of fat bears… I mean bandits.'

'Don't you know where you are?' A vein popped up on the older woman's forehead, she gritted her teeth as she loomed over the girl intimidatingly, 'This is the hideout of the mountain bandits who rules Mt Corvo, the Dadan family!'

'Mountain bandits?' Luffy narrowed her eyes, 'They're… I mean you guys are annoying. But it's fine. Maybe I'll like you guys better than the others.' She grinned brightly, making Dadan slightly taken aback.

'Sh-shut it, you bastard!' Dadan said, flustered by what Luffy said, 'Flattery won't work! It's already a pain taking care of you! If you don't want to be here, that's fine by us! Just go out and find your own food, make your own house!'

'Now, now boss!' Magra tried to comfort Dadan.

'Who said I wanted to leave?' Luffy said with a smile, 'I'll stay here. Getting food here is easier than in the jungle.'

'That food you're eating is from the buffalo Ace caught! If you want to even sit at the table tomorrow than at least catch something like Ace or no, you can do the chores. A life of a bandit is hard! We'll work you half dead! Cleaning! Laundry! Shoe and weapon polishing! Theft, looting, swindling and killing! And listen… you're not going to say a single word to Garp about the stuff we make you do! A bowl of rice and a cup of water every day, that's all I'm giving you!' She said threateningly after getting back her composure. This kid ticked her off even more than Ace had done.

'I won't say anything since I won't be doing any of that stuff anyways. I'll just hunt something for you every day. And if I run out of food, I'll go get my own. So I'll stay here.' Luffy said with an innocent grin.

'She's fine with it!?' Dadan slammed her head against the floor once again, 'You should be crying by now!'

'Hehe!' Luffy smiled happily, giggling at Dadan's reaction, 'If I can't survive this, I'll never be able to become a pirate!' Luffy said proudly. She turned to Ace, noticing his glance towards her, obviously interested in what she had said.

'Boss, are you okay?' The bandits panicked, asking Dadan question worrily, trying to get her up to her feet.

Luffy's eyes followed Ace as he left the room and went out of the hut. _So he's going there, huh?_ _I want to meet with Sabo soon but if I meet up with them too early then Porchemy won't be there and I won't be able to get their trust._ Still, Luffy stood up, dusted off her clothes and followed Ace out of the hut. She rested a hand on her hat and gave herself an encouraging grin.

'Oi, where are you going?' Dadan shouted, she had just gotten up to her feet, then she realised what Luffy just said and shouted, 'And did you just say _pirate_?'

Luffy, ignoring the bandits, followed Ace outside. Dadan jumped up and shouted even louder the time around, cursing, 'Dammit! She's not listening! You see?! She's way too stubborn! This is why I don't want Garp's grandchild!'

Magra, with another attempt to calm down his boss, said, 'Now calm down, boss.'

Luffy had already left the hut, ignoring the conversation of the bandits. She ran after her brother deeper into the jungle and said with a happy grin, 'Let's talk! I'm sure you already know my name! Let's try to get a little bit closer! Ace!'

Ace turned around, the dangerous and distant look still in his eyes; He glared down at Luffy who was still approaching him. Luffy shouted, 'Stay there! I'm coming!'

Ace observed her for a moment, turned around and kicked the nearby tree, breaking it in half. Then with another kick, he rolled the tree downhill. Luffy, knowing it would happen, jumped on top of the rolling trunk, dodging it and used it as a platform to reach Ace. Bouncing off the trunk, she land landed with a 'thud' next to where Ace was standing.

She turned to her brother, a hand holding onto her straw hat, 'I told you to stay still, didn't I?'

Only to be replied with a click of his tongue and Ace ran off with amazing speed. Luffy shouted as she followed, 'Wait! I know the direction you're heading to! It's the Grey Terminal isn't it?'

The young boy had already crossed the bridge half way when he suddenly halted, surprised at what Luffy had said. But then he erased the look off his face and turned to the girl who stood at the beginning of the bridge. Luffy approached Ace slowly and said with a smile, 'Wondered how I knew that did ya?'

Ace began approaching her, slowly with his grip tightening on the silver pipe. The two exchanged a determined look before Ace swung the pipe and threw Luffy over the bridge. Luffy didn't scream, she was not even scared because she knew it was coming. After seeing Ace left, she used the 'gomu gomu no fuusen' to land safely on the ground. She thought to herself, _I'll be staying in this forest for a week so I should play around a little. Let's go on an adventure, then!_

* * *

 _ **One week later**_

'Boss!' Dogra called out, his face drowned in confusion, 'Boss Dadan!'

Magra, appearing from behind the door, inquired, 'Who is…' He stopped in mid-sentence, his eyes nearly popping out.

'Who's there?' Dadan said, only to see who it is and get imprinted with an expression of surprise, 'It's you!' She pointed at the shadow of Luffy.

'She came back!' Dogra said, his jaws nearly fallen off. Luffy approached them with a make-shift trolley full of gigantic dead animal's carcasses. She looked fine even though her clothes were torn and her skin was full of scratches. She spoke, 'This is food for the next seven days, they're fresh, I just hunted them.' Then Luffy handed them the trolley and entered the house, leaving the three of them speechless. She said her last word as she went into her (and Ace's) room, 'I'm tired. Don't disturb me. Good night.'

She slammed the door shut behind her, collapsed to the ground and fell asleep immediately. Dadan looked at the trolley, and then turned to where Luffy was, 'where was that kid? What was she doing?'

'I wonder that too?' Dogra and Magra said together. Dadan turned to the two, threw the trolley of meat at then then shouted, 'Get that stocked, it's food for the next week!'

* * *

 _ **Day eight**_

'Ace! Wait for me!' Luffy shouted as she followed the young boy's figure into the forest.

'Boss, she's going after Ace again!' Dogra shouted, warning Dadan. She poked her head through the door and grumbled, 'And she just returned yesterday!'

Magra appeared from behind the two, 'Luffy left a note.' He handed Dadan the paper. The bandit's boss read the note aloud, 'Gone to the jungle with Ace. I'll return with food. Don't worry about me, okay? *winking smiley face*'

Dadan exploded, 'We're not worried!'

Luffy, who was half way down the hill, turned around and stuck out her tongue naughtily. She purposely chose a place where she was in sight of all the bandits to annoy them.

'That little brat!' Dadan shouted angrily.

'Now, now boss!' Magra tried to calm the woman down. He turned towards where Luffy was to see she had already left.

'Ace! Wait for me!' Calling out to her older brother, Luffy once again followed Ace into the jungle. Running faster and faster, deeper and deeper into the forest, Ac suddenly halted in front of a river. Hovering over it was a branch that carried long green vines and in the river, there were floating logs-like alligators. Taking off and grabbing onto a vine, Ace swung over to the other side of the river where a rock cliff was located. He jumped on the rocks and used them like stairs to get to the top, then he took off running deeper into the woods. Luffy waited until he was out of sight, grabbed onto the branch and rocketed herself onto the top of the clip. She held onto her hat and gave a satisfying smile.

'It seems Ace didn't know I survived that…' She scratched the back of her head, shrugging, she continued whispering to herself, 'Better get Dadan something to eat then.'

* * *

 _ **Day ten**_

'Boss…' One of the bandits called out lazily. He indicated to the disappearing figure of the girl.

'Luffy! Get back and work!' Dadan shouted as she peeked out of the door.

'I'll give you something in my treasure tab!' Luffy shouted happily while her legs still followed Ace. They once again ran deeper into the forest, Ace leading with his silver pipe in his hand, Luffy behind with her excited grin. Ace stopped slightly before hopping onto the rocks and landing on top of a tall cliff. Luffy smiled and followed confidently, 'You're not the only one who could do that!'

Suddenly, a hail of rocks fell from the cliff and head for Luffy. _That's cruel…_ Luffy thought before using her Observation Haki to dodge all the rocks and landed on the cliff. She scratched her head, 'He's already gone. I want to talk to him.'

* * *

 _ **One month later**_

'Luffy!' Dadan shouted, it had always been the first thing she did in the morning nowadays.

'She left long ago…' Dogra said with a bored voice.

'Did she tell you she'd get us food?' Dadan asked. Her voice now less angry. Dogra turned to her and said after a slight pause, 'Yes…'

'She didn't, right?' Dadan smashed his head angrily, biting on her cigarette, 'Go get her!'

'Right…' Dogra ran off while grabbing onto his wound.

Luffy continued to follow Ace into the dangerous forest. Sometimes she'd get attacked by a gigantic cobra, sometimes she'd fall down one of the cliffs and sometimes she'd be pushed into the valley but she never stopped. On rainy days, on windy days, she'd still run after Ace.

* * *

 _ **Two months later**_

'She'd gone and run after Ace's butt again!' Dadan shouted as she chewed on the white stick. She

was staring at the door like expecting something to smash through it the next moment, particularly,

a young girl.

'I can't believe she hasn't learned yet, after all the trouble she's been through.' Dogra sighed, even though he doesn't want to admit it, he worries for the little girl.

'I wish she wouldn't make me worry so much!' Dadan shouted, dropping her cigarette to the ground. Of course, she wanted to take the words right after they came out.

'Hehe, you're worried?' Dogra asked deviously.

'Of course not!' Dadan denied, but gave it away with her flustered cheeks that were turning into a warm shade of red, 'Don't be ridiculous- Aahhh!' She suddenly screamed.

Luffy had returned from another day with Ace, today, she earned a few badly swollen wasp bites; alligators' teeth wound and she was soaking wet. The girl was barely recognisable. She turned to the three and said with a straight face, 'I hit a wasp hive and jumped into the water to get rid of them but I couldn't swim so I had to grab onto an alligator to stay afloat. I'll go to sleep now, save me some food.'

'Luffy…' The three said with terrified faces.

* * *

 _ **Month number two, Week 2**_

'Ace! Wait for me!' Luffy still followed Ace, screaming with useless effort. They had one again ended up in a non-ending cat-and-mouse chase. Still, like any other day, it was the mouse chasing the cat.

Ace had already stationed himself on top of the cliff, looking down at Luffy. He groused under his breath, 'He (this is not a mistake, Ace had mistaken Luffy for a boy, yes) followed me all the way here… what a persistent guy…'

Suddenly, a shadow appeared from the bushes, rustling the leaves around it. It was huge, about twenty times the size of a normal human, grumbling and growling with its earth shaking voice.

'I lost Ace!' Luffy whined, swaying her limbs in the air like an annoyed baby. Then she turned to _The Tiger Lord,_ and gave it a smile.

Ace grunted, his nosed wriggling, he thought, _that's the lord of the jungle, that kid doesn't stand a chance. Why isn't he moving? Is he too scared?_

'I won't die today.' Luffy said with a confident grin. Ace was surprised, he was surprised by the look on her face, the words she said and most of all, he admired her confidence. Ace stood up, preparing to jump down before the Tiger Lord could charge at Luffy but then a gigantic bear appeared. The two wild animals fought each other off, disappearing into the woods. Luffy turned up to smile at the sky before running back into the jungle, leaving Ace to sigh with relief. He had suddenly felt a liking to the boy (girl).

* * *

 _ **Three months later**_

'Ah,' Luffy sighed happily, 'I'M HERE! The Grey Terminal!' She raised her hands in to the air victoriously. After three rigorous months, she had finally reached her destination. She smiled as the thick white fog cleared, revealing the uncountable mountains of trash that piled up to unbelievable heights. Welcome to the Grey Terminal.

* * *

 **End scene! Just to the people who read this before, i just fixed it! It will be slightly longer now. Tell me how you feel about the story, give a fav/follow. Sorry for the mistakes.**

 **Love,**

 **Knox**


	2. Chapter 2: Meet the Monsters

**Disclaimer: I can't own One Piece so I don't.**

 **Tell me what you think about the first chapter! Pls! It'll help me so much. I was focusing on the adventure, plot and character building so much that i don't know if i should start pairing or not. you'll probably know later in the story anyways. Thanks to the readers. Enjoy ;)**

* * *

The blinding light landed on the young girl's face as she began to slowly emerge from the trees and bushes. The grey fog cleared and revealed mountains and mountains of thrown away garbage, the trash that the nobles on the other side of the gigantic wall do not need, in which it also included humans. From pieces of broken machineries to toys thrown away by children, it was all there, hidden from sight of the 'cleaner' people.

'Ugh…' Luffy wrinkled her nose. Of course, not because of the smell or the crawling sick and injured people, not because of the dirtiness or anything like that. She felt disgusted because this was the most obvious proof to how rotten the people in the inner sections are. Luffy hated those kinds of people.

'I'm about to meet Sabo! I can't show a face like this!' Luffy said as she wiped away her annoyed and hateful look and slapped on her typical clumsy grin, the grin that only seem to fit her face. Sliding down the trash hill she was standing on, Luffy landed with a light 'thud' and started looking around, asking herself, _now, how did I fund Ace and Sabo again_? Climbing on the body of a broken crane, Luffy began skimming the area. Then, remembering something, she pointed to a tall tree which was poking out from the treetops in the forest in between Mt Corvo and the Terminal, 'They're there!'

Seeing Ace's figure also heading in the direction, Luffy jumped off and grabbed a long iron pipe along the way. Then she took off and followed Ace into the jungle. The young boy stopped in front of the tree and looked up, calling out to Sabo. Luffy had decided to hide behind one of the trees nearby to look for an appropriate time to appear.

'Oh, Ace!' Sabo replied, hiding under the leaves of the branch. Luffy, for the first time in three months, Ace smiled, 'Sorry I'm late.'

'You sure are.' Sabo leaned forward, looking down towards Ace. He wore a top hat that sat neatly on top of his curly blonde hair. Whenever the young boy talked, it would reveal his missing tooth. Seeing her older brother still the same, wearing his blue tailcoat and owning his fluffy smile, Luffy couldn't help grinning madly. Sabo continued, 'I've already done some work in the city.'

'Really? Truth is, I have too.' Ace said and the two young boys grinned at each other deviously. Sabo supported Ace onto the branch and they began to compare each other's loot, 'Here we go!' They showed their treasure.

Sabo gaped at Ace's treasure bag, 'Amazing! You've got more than me!' Ace grinned proudly. Sabo observed the bag more closely, 'This is a lot of treasure! How'd you get it?'

'I stole it from some hoodlums near the main gate.'

'Damn… you beat me again today!' Sabo said, slightly upset but still happy, as he began counting through the money.

'It doesn't matter who wins, does it? We're gonna spend he Pirate Fund together one day anyways. It must've been five years since we've started saving, huh?' Ace looked down at the treasure hidden in the hole in the branch.

'We've worked hard.' Ace smiled at Sabo. The blond boy smiled back, 'We sure have!'

'To leave East Blue and head into a world these islanders don't even know about…' Sabo said as he turned to the breath-taking scene of the sea, he smiled, 'I get excited just thinking about it!' Ace followed his gaze and gave an excited smirk. The sea, to them was like a road to freedom, a way to get away from the dark world that only they could see.

'Hurry and close the lid, we don't know who might be looking.' Ace warned Sabo, snapping the boy out of his thoughts.

Sabo stuffed the last load of money into the hole and asked, 'I wonder how much money we would need to buy a pirate ship?'

'Who know… hundreds of thousands or maybe even millions...' Ace answered, still looking at the deep, blue sea that stretched towards the skyline. He then turned to his brother, 'Whatever it is, we've still got a long way to go.'

Luffy smiled, walked out from the shadow of tree and decided that it's time she make her appearance, 'A pirate ship?' She said aloud excitedly. Sabo, startled, snapped the lid shut and turned to look at the source of the voice. Luffy waved her hand at Sabo, 'You guys want to be pirates? So will I!'

Luffy laughed aloud innocently, she had worn a black tank top that had a pirate jolly roger on it and wore a pair of maroon pants. She looked extremely similar to a boy which had caused both Ace and Sabo to mistake her for one. Ace and Sabo were shocked and scared to near death, their face losing its colour. The two brothers turned to Luffy, then each other; they nodded in unison and began climbing down the trunk of the tree. The landed in front of Luffy in a matter of seconds and with their fist, they knocked Luffy to the ground, 'Be quiet!'

Luffy landed on the ground with her butt and while rubbing her head said, 'That's a rude way to greet someone.' The two grabbed onto Luffy's arms before she could react.

* * *

'So this is where you go every day, Ace.' Luffy said, as carefree as ever even though she was secured to the tree and was unable to move.

'Shut up!' Ace intercepted the young girl (who he thinks is a boy).

'So this is the Luffy guy you've been talking about?' Sabo asked as he crossed his arms. The two brothers were both armed with pipes and gave off an intimidating air.

'So Ace talked about me, Tailcoat Boy?' Luffy asked excitedly.

'It's Sabo.' The blond boy fixed.

'Right.' Luffy answered with a nod.

Ace rested his hands on his hips and spoke in an annoyed voice, cutting the conversation between the two, 'Yeah, I've been complaining about how clingy you are…'

'And how you never think about what you're doing.' Sabo finished the sentence. The young girl only laughed happily and said with a smile, 'I see. You don't know much about me then. How about we get to know each other a little more?'

Sabo sighed and glared down at Luffy with confusing eyes, wondering if this kid has a few screws lose or not, 'Doesn't he realise that we're insulting him?'

'He finally made it all the way here.' Ace turned to Sabo and said, 'And I made sure to use the paths that ordinary people can travel…' The two troublemakers looked at each other with wary stares as cold sweat drip down their foreheads.

'Hey, Sabo, Ace, you two seem like close friends.' Luffy interrupted with a naïve grin. Sabo opened his mouth, then closed it, then said, 'How did you know my name?'

'You said it early.' Luffy said, looking above like she was trying to regain something on the top of her mind. Sabo clicked his tongue before rubbing his chin, 'I didn't mean to say it so soon. I just ended up doing it unconsciously because he called me Tailcoat Boy.' He mumbled under his breath.

'Hey, Sabo, be my friend too.' Luffy asked, straight forwardly with a smile.

'Wait… what do you mean 'too'?' Ace asked as he poked his pipe at Luffy's nose. The young girl grinned clumsily and replied, 'Aren't we already friends?' She asked Ace.

'WE'RE NOT!' Ace shouted angrily. The two brothers gave a 'tsk' and turned to each other with annoyed looks. Sabo spoke, 'This is why I said you should just live here. Taking that round trip and training in the mountains each day just caused us a lot of trouble! What are we gonna do?'

'Now that he knows our secret… I'm sure he'll tell everyone if we let him go.' Ace mumble, his eyes full of malice, 'Let's kill him.'

'Right, let's do that.' Sabo nodded after a moment of thought. Luffy dropped her grin and paled. She knew they weren't going to do anything to her but the looks in their eyes are creepy enough to send a bull running.

She calmed herself down and said with a serious voice, 'I won't tell anyone, I swear, so don't kill me. If you try, I'll scream!'

'Hmph. We're not going to believe you!' Ace said, though he wanted to believe the girl. The black haired boy turned to Sabo, 'You do it! Hurry!'

'Why do I have to?!' Sabo freaked out, 'You do it!'

'I can't! I've never killed someone before!' Ace shouted. Somehow, the two had gotten caught up in an argument. Sabo returned the shout, 'Neither have I! I don't know how to kill someone!'

'Haven't you heard what I said?' Luffy said as a warning, an unnoticeable smirk on her lips, 'I'm gonna scream.' She took in a deep breath and before the two could react, she let out an ear-deafening scream, 'HELP ME! MURDERERS! SOMEONE HELP ME!'

The shout echoed through the jungle, it was so loud, it could possibly be heard on the other side of Mt Corvo. Ace and Sabo were now freaking out and had ended in a state of absolute panic. They grabbed at Luffy's mouth and shouted in unison, 'Shut up!'

Somewhere out on the edge of the jungle next to he Terminal where the children were unaware of, Porchemy, a large built man with a shark like face and long purple hair, stood with his subordinates. One of the followers shouted, 'There, in the jungle. I just heard a child's voice.' He pointed and the four of then entered the forest. Hearing the footsteps from the distant, the two brothers stopped messing with Luffy and grumbled, 'Oh no! Someone's coming!'

'For starters, let's untie him! If we don't get out of sight, they'll find the treasure.' Ace suggested. And so the two did, they untied Luffy and the three of them climbed behind a few bushes. They stayed there, sitting quietly as Porchemy and his men approach the tree. Overhearing Porchemy's conversation about Bluejam, Ace silently cursed under his breath for stealing those men's loot. He had thought they were just some hoodlums like all the others.

'You got that money from those guys?' Sabo asked worrily. Ace gritted his teeth, 'We've got some dangerous money in our hands.'

'The guy who is carrying the sword is Bluejam's underling, Porchemy. He's absolutely crazy, have you heard?' Sabo informed, his face tensing, 'He tears the skin off the face of the people he defeats, while they're still alive!'

'I don't like that guy…' Luffy grumbled, remembering what he did to Ace, Luffy couldn't help but feel like punching him across the face. Thinking of something, Luffy began to move.

'We can't let ourselves be seen…' The two brothers duck deeper into the bushes. Sabo turned to Luffy, making sure she was there but not even a soul was next to him. He turned to look at where Porchemy was and almost screamed. Luffy, holding one of the two's pipe, just swung and hit the stick at Porchemy. The iron surface hit against his temple making him tumble back a few steps.

 _What the hell is he doing?!_ The two brothers shouted in their minds. Luffy, who had just pissed the man off, ran towards the Grey Terminal while shouting, 'Oi, Shark Face! I know where Ace is! If you want to know… TRY AND CATCH ME!' Luffy shouted and stuck out her tongue while stretching her cheeks. Porchemy stood up and he and his men began chasing Luffy.

'What is that idiot doing?' Ace shouted, getting ready to chase after her. He didn't know why but he didn't want to leave the boy alone. But, a hand reached out to stop him. Sabo said with a determined look, 'We should move the treasure while Porchemy is distracted. And, that kid is no idiot; he just saved us from losing our treasure.'

'You mean he teased Porchemy on purpose?' Ace asked, slightly confused. Wondering who would do that for someone they don't know.

'We shouldn't waste his effort. Let's move the treasure to somewhere safer. After getting caught and tortured, that kid would somehow tell the truth anyway.' Sabo said as he began climbing up the tree.

* * *

The hut was very terribly built and looked as if it was about to fall apart. Luffy was tied to a column that supported the small house. The small rays of light managed to sneak in through the dozen of holes on the wall and ceiling and land on the girl's face. Porchemy stood opposite to her, a gigantic hammer in his hand.

'I won't tell you anything!' Luffy said her eyes full of determination. Porchemy approached the girl slowly, dragging the hammer with him; he had an eerie air around him that could send shudders down ones spine. He raised the hammer into the air and smashed it down with immense force. The hammer hit the floor, sending splinters in every direction. It stay there for a second, seemingly crushing the child, only for it to bounce right back up the next moment.

'I told you that you can't hurt me like that.' Luffy said with a defiant grin. The men in the back, who were watching Porchemy torture Luffy, began panicking only to be told to shut up by Porchemy. The tall man walked closer, 'So you have the devil fruit's powers don't you? I don't know which fruit but if this kind of attack won't hurt you, there are other types of torture.

Bring me my gloves.' Porchemy ordered. The pirates began to tie Luffy and hung him from the ceiling. One of the men returned with a pair of spiked gloves. Porchemy snapped them on and approached the young girl, 'Listen up, brat. The cash that your friend, Ace, stole was our pirate's crew's precious treasure. And you know where it is, so just tell me!'

'No way!' Luffy protested. But before she could continue, the spiked fist slammed against her face, splattering blood to the ground. Luffy spat out blood and spoke, 'Watch the face, a girl needs to keep her face pretty, you know.' She said with a grin.

'Shut up, brat! The only thing you need to say is where the treasure is.' Porchemy demanded.

'Never.' She said with the same determined eyes. Another punch sent her flying, more blood dripped to the ground but she refused to let out even a cry. It was painful, excruciatingly painful even but she refused to speak or even let a tear drop. If only she could control her Haki properly right now, she'd beat them easily. Her control over Observation Haki was still superb but she had no control over Armament and Conqueror's Haki, they were out of control.

'I w-won't talk.' Luffy mumbled. She managed to activate her Conqueror's Haki for a moment but only one of the followers fell. The two asked him what happened but he was already unconscious, foaming from his mouth. Porchemy didn't react, he only continued punching Luffy.

'Go search for Ace and Sabo! Now!' He ordered and the two conscious underlings ran off with their tails between their legs.

* * *

The two brothers had finally finished moving their treasure to another tree in the forest. They hid it under the roots of an old oak. Sabo was going to head to the Grey Terminal to check about any new revolving around Porchemy when Ace stopped him and asked, 'Something feels wrong here, doesn't it?'

'What do you mean?' Sabo asked. Ace turned to him, 'It's been hours and none of their men had come here to find us.'

Ace felt that something was wrong, seeing the determined look in Luffy's eyes and how he'd face off the two lords of the jungle the other day, Ace knew that it was not so simple. Something about that kid told him that Luffy wouldn't just tell them the location of their treasure.

'Do you mean…' Sabo looked at Ace after a while of thought. Ace nodded, both their faces drowned with fear and worry, 'He hasn't told them yet!'

* * *

The two other men, who had return from their useless hunt, were now on the ground with foam coming out of their mouth. Porchemy was continuously punching Luffy across the face as Luffy coughed up blood. She couldn't even move anymore. After using the Conqueror's Haki on the two other hoodlums, Porchemy was furious and began to ask her what she did. Luffy didn't have a chance to knock him out since she was losing her consciousness. Her vision blurred, the only thing she could make out was the figure of Porchemy pick up the sword and telling her she no longer have a using and he will kill her now. Luffy could retort, she could even scream. She thought she had lost all hope.

Suddenly, the wooden wall burst open and the two boys, Ace and Sabo, charged in. Luffy looked up, her vision getting slightly better, she couldn't even feel the pain anymore, her senses have dulled. Panting and breathing unevenly, she croaked, 'Ace… Sabo…' She felt like she could cry, her brothers were there, protecting her again.

Ignoring the underlings laying on the ground, Ace charged straight towards Porchemy, jumping up, getting ready to smash down on his head. The pirate, effortlessly, grabbed Ace in mid-air by the neck and said with a smirk, 'You brats showing up makes it much easier. I didn't know your friend has such sealed lips.'

Ace struggled in his grip; all he managed to do was croaked out Sabo's name. Sabo jumped up and charged from behind, swinging his pipe, he hit Porchemy across the head. The large man drop Ace and stumbled slightly, he growled like a wild beast and regained his footing, 'That hurt pretty bad, you know.'

XXXXX

Luffy was sleepy now, she was sure that after the sleep she would feel much better. Her eyes won't be blurry; her ears won't be ringing… She didn't feel this terrible when this happened in the last life. Maybe it was because using Haki had exhausted her too much. She couldn't even comprehend what was going on. Luffy then dosed off into a deep sleep.

XXXXX

Porchemy turned around, the blade in his hand glistening, 'You know what happens when you make fun of grown-ups, don't you?' He said with a mad grin.

'Your opponent it right here!' Ace stood up to his feet and shouted, getting Porchemy's attention, 'Sabo! Get Luffy!' Sabo could do nothing but nod. He was scared, he didn't want to admit it but he was. Running pass Ace, he could see his brethren's leg shaking slightly. _I guess Ace is scared too,_ he thought, couldn't help the smile.

Sabo picked up the knife one of the fallen pirates were holding and went off to cut Luffy's rope. Porchemy's and Ace's fight had begun, Ace continuously dodge and return the hit while Porchemy take the initiative. It seemed as if Ace could fend off the man well enough. Sabo, at the while, had been able to free Luffy. He grabbed the child around the waist and carried him under his arm, 'Ace, I got Luffy, let's go!'

'You go on ahead!' Ace announced, steady on his feet, ready for another round with Porchemy. Sabo tensed, he wanted to mishear what Ace had said, why does that idiot have to stay stubborn at the most annoying times? He shouted, scolding Ace, 'you idiot! Come on!'

'Once I've chosen an opponent… I won't run!' Ace announced stubbornly.

'What? You brat!' Porchemy shouted angrily, the wound on his head bleeding.

Sabo turned around with a worried look, 'Don't! He's on a different level compared to those delinquents in town!'

'Don't you get it?' Porchemy asked with a dark look, 'Oi, play time's over! You stole our money! You will obediently return it to us, you insolent brat! I'm sure you've realised you've down a bad thing! I won't hurt you if you give back the money!' He said; his grin widening as he pointed the blade at Ace.

The young boy smashed the sword away and said with a glare, 'we're gonna make much better use of it!'

Porchemy grunted, now as twice ass annoyed, 'Wh-' He straightened up and glanced down at the child, 'What did you say?!'

Dropping Luffy gently to the ground, Sabo said as he approached his comrade, 'you… wait just a minute.' He run up next to Ace, 'You're being too reckless! Why are you always doing this?!'

'I never back down.' The determined look still it his eyes, sparkling like a flame that would never be diminished.

'Don't be ridiculous!' Porchemy shouted as he swung his sword. Ace jumped up to parry it but before he could react, the pipe was cut clean in half. A lunatic grin etched across his face as Porchemy announced proudly, 'If I lose to a pair of kids, I'll quit being a pirate!'

'Then we'll make you quit!' The two boys leapt up and attack the pirate with all their might. Porchemy shouted back, 'I'll slaughter ya!'

The voices echoed through the Terminal as the weapons clashed.

* * *

'Is he alright?' Ace asked as the leaned closer to the unconscious boy (girl). Sabo had just finished bandaging up the wounds on her face when she opened her eyes with a snap. Luffy sat up her eyes wide then tears started to fall out. Seeing the reaction, Sabo freaked out while Ace turned his worry into anger, he shouted, 'Why are you crying? The fighting's over! You're rescued! Why are you crying?'

'I…' Luffy raised a hand to her eyes and started wiping the tears away but they won't stop coming out. She muttered, 'I don't know…'

'Ace, stop shouting at the kid, he just had a mental trauma.' Ace put a hand on Ace's shoulder. Somehow, both of them had become worried for the kid. Ace clicked his tongue and continued fixing up his pipe with sticky tape.

Luffy had started sobbing and now both Ace and Sabo no longer mind to worry about it. She sat there, tears down her cheek crying, even if she had the memory of her old life, she was still a seven year-old child. Sabo turned to Ace, 'That's a really bad habit you've got there, Ace…' Sabo relaxed himself, leaning on the root of the tree while crossing his arms, 'Refusing to run when you're against real pirates. Why are you so eager to die?'

Ace ignored Sabo's scolding and continued to observe his staff, 'this doesn't feel quite right… it was better before.'

Sabo shook his head and sighed, feeling like he's the only one who was thinking straight, 'After this, Bluejam's crew will never forgive us. They'll be after us from now.' Then he turned to Luffy who was crying into her palms, she didn't make a noise, sometimes hiccupping.

Ace jumped down from where he sat, 'It's so annoying! Stop sobbing! If you're going to cry, just cry properly, stop trying to stay quiet! I hate cry-babies like you! You're like a girl!'

Luffy wiped away her tears for the last time and stopped crying abruptly. Her head shot up and she said with a pout, 'I'm a child! I was just tortured and someone tried to kill me! Let me cry!' Ace and Sabo gaped at the supposed-to-be-a-girl boy and was shocked at how she immediately stopped crying. She continued arguing, 'I was trying to stay quiet so I won't bother you!'

She sighed, calmed herself down, jumped of the root she was sitting on and stood in front of the two, 'Thank you for saving me.' She bowed.

'Why you…' Ace shouted but he was stopped by Sabo. Ace had never been thanked before, he didn't know how to reply to gratitude, the only feeling he could put in was anger.

Luffy straightened up, revealing the tears that were about to flow out again but she didn't let them go because she knows crying will not help. Ace charged forward like an angry dog, 'Why didn't you tell them? Those people would kill people without a second thought.'

The young girl bowed down, her hat covering her face, 'If I told them…' She said as she begins to look up, a smile suddenly appearing on her face, 'I will never be able to get your trust.'

'Why do you even need our trust? You could've died!' Ace shouted.

'I need your trust so we could be friend. I'd rather die than be alone!' Luffy said, tears oozing into her eyes but none had fallen.

'After all the thing I put you through? You'd still want to be my friend?' Ace pointed at Luffy accusingly.

'There's nobody else!' Luffy said, tears rolling down her cheeks, 'Grandpa's gone, I can't return to Fushia village, the bandits won't play with me, there's only you!'

'Then…' Ace said, his glare softening, 'It isn't so bad that I am here?'

Luffy nodded enthusiastically, 'Un.' He agreed.

'And it'd be bad if I wasn't here?' He continued ad Luffy nodded again. Thinking of the people who wanted him dead, calling him a monster and a demon, Ace tightened his grip on the pipe and bit his under lip.

'So… you want me to live?' Ace asked, looking down so that his bangs would shadow his eyes. Luffy nodded happily and said, 'Of course!'

Ace turned around, hiding his smiling face and said, 'But, I don't like girlie and weak kids like you.'

Luffy wriggled her nose and shouted as she charged at Ace, 'Who said I was weak?' Luffy leapt into the air and grabbed onto Ace's back, making him fall over. Ace was unaware of this but he was slightly blushing. Luffy lay on top of Ace's chest, looking at him straight to the face and with a mischievous, she said, 'I'll become the strongest in the group and beat all of you!'

Ace knocked his forehead against her's making her fall aside and off his chest after he stood up, he shouted still slightly flustered, 'Who said that? I'll become a Pirate Captain and beat both of you!'

Luffy jumped up to her feet and pressed against Ace's forehead with her own and announce, 'I'll become a great pirate captain like I promised Shanks and you won't do anything about it!'

'You? A pirate?' Ace said leaning harder against her. The two continued fighting before Sabo interrupted, 'Okay, that's enough! Oh, by the way, I've got a problem.'

'A problem?' Luffy asked, faking innocence.

'Yeah.' Sabo continued, 'Because of what happened today, Bluejam's crew will be trying to find and kill all three of us, right?'

'Yeah, I guess.' Ace agreed.

Sabo continued, 'I've been living in the forest but it's close to their base, the Pirates' Cove. What do you think would happen if I fell asleep somewhere and they attacked me?'

'You'd die.' Ace said bluntly. Luffy joined in and nodded, 'You'd definitely die.'

'Indeed.' Sabo said and looked at the two, 'So, I've got a favour to ask you. You guys, hear me out.' The three group together and started discussing enthusiastically.

* * *

The next morning, true chaos arrived at the Dadan's family hideout. It was the appearance of the three little monsters.

* * *

 **Chapter 2 and it is also very very long. *sorry*. I might've made some mistakes so... I hope you like it. Give some reviews to the story, some favs, some follows. Thank the people who have read and fav/follow this story. Hope you don't mind if this author doesn't portray the characters well enough. PS: Reviews will help make the story better so tell me if something's wrong.**


	3. Chapter 3: Little Secrets, Big Truths

**Disclaimer: I'll be doing this alot, won't i? I don't own One Piece**

 **Like always, forgive the mistakes, tell me your opinion, fav/follow if you like. Love you guys and enjoy the story.**

* * *

A few weeks has passed since Sabo had settled down in the Dadan's Family hideout. Even though it was pretty much no better than the Grey Terminal, the blonde boy liked it here, spending time with his friend and free to do whatever he wants. Turns out, Dadan wasn't as terrible as most people make her out to be (still ugly though) and by most people he meant Ace and Luffy. Though there was something that had begun to bug him starting about two day ago when…

 _ **Sabo's little discovery**_

Today, he and Ace had returned late after they checked up on their Pirate Fund when they were hit by a sudden downpour. The storm roared outside and a lightning crack through the air. The two brothers charged into the hut with their pipes and were drenched with rain water. Dadan was furious (more like worried to Dogra) she had waited all night for the two troublemakers and they returned home with drenched clothes and a continuous sneezing competition.

'We are fine.' Ace grumbled as he twisted his shirt to squeeze out all the water. Sabo, who stood next to him, nodded enthusiastically in agreement. They carried they're pipes into the house while waving dismissively, 'we'll go to bath so don't disturb us.'

Dadan grunted at the ungrateful brats and started to rant about haunting Garp for the rest of his life when she was disturbed by her accomplice, Dogra, 'I thought Luffy was already in the bath?'

'She is?' Dadan said, her face paled.

'Yeah. She just returned from her hunt and decided she should take a bath.' Magra appeared from behind Dogra. Before they could continue, Dadan had already fainted on the ground with her face as white as paper. If Garp knows that Sabo or Ace saw her naked in the bath, she could bid farewell to her life as a bandit or as a human.

* * *

Luffy was about to dip herself in the steaming hot bath after thoroughly scrubbing herself. It was a harsh day; she hadn't been able to see her two beloved brothers at all since they had business to attend to at the Terminal. She ended up having to hunt alone today and more than anything, being alone is tiring. She sighed as she climbed up the stool in order to reach the top of the tub. She stood on her toes while reaching out to check the water. Luffy didn't know why but since she became a girl, she had cared much more about baths.

Then suddenly, the sound of the loud approaching footsteps startled her. She slipped off the chair and landed on the floor with a loud thud, her towel falling off. It was Ace and Sabo, she could hear them discussing about their thieving at the Grey Terminal. Struggling to pull her body steady onto her feet, Luffy grumbled at the slippery floor. She stood up and rubbed the sore bump where her back had hit the floor.

Sabo, hearing the noise that came from the room, was curious. Ace had started to take off his clothes while happily discussing about how much money they have gathered. Sabo, with his interest still piqued, opened the door to the bath and peeked in. To his surprise, Luffy was there, stark naked, the hot steam that lingered in the air enveloping her. Sabo stared at her… Luffy stared back, water dripping down from her wet raven locks. At the sight, Sabo had frozen, a wave of warm blood rushed to his cheeks as he felt them get warmer.

'Sorry.' Sabo squeaked as he quickly slammed the door shut and turned around with his face deeply blushed. He slid down with is back against the door, his knees to his face, trying to contain his embarrassment. It was the first time he saw a girl naked and that girl had turned out to be his newest friend. What if she hates him for it? He put his hands to his face and silently wept inside his mind.

'Sabo? What is it? You're acting weird.' Ace came over, his voice annoyed but slightly worried. His brother was acting weird and that was not something he's happy about. Sabo was ignoring him!

'Ace… Let's bath later.' Sabo said as he looked up to Ace with blank eyes that said something bad would happen if Ace didn't listen. He couldn't believe how thick he was to not realise this. Two weeks, and he didn't notice a thing (this was probably because Luffy didn't really know anything about gender differences).

'Why?' Ace said questioningly, his head tilted to a side.

'Don't ever come in the bath while Luffy is bathing. Okay?' Sabo said as he looked up to Ace. Now he had realised why Dadan never let the three of them bath together.

Ace shot him a questioning look before tumbling off to put his clothes on while Sabo tried calming his down his blush. They left the bathroom awkwardly and from that day, the blond boy was never able to see his 'brother' the same way anymore. That night, Sabo switched place with Ace so he wouldn't end up sleeping next to Luffy because he knew he'd end up with a sleepless night if he did.

* * *

 _ **A few days later**_

'Gomu Gomu no… Pistol.' The fist sped back after stretching out of sight. Luffy kept her footing as she aimed the rubber arm at her soon-to-be brother. Ace glowered at the fist and dodged aside, missing it by a millimetre. The punch scraped him slightly but was not harmful. Ace spun around and swung his pipe at the young girl with all his might. Luffy, while suppressing herself from using any form of Haki, ducked down frantically and shouted, 'Gomu Gomu no Muchi (whip).'

The leg swept its way through the plain and Ace jumped up. Unfortunately, he was too slow and his feet got caught by the stretching limb. He lost his balance and fell face first to the ground, resulting to a large nose bleed.

'One point.' Sabo said as he turned around to write on the score board. Ace grumbled as he pushed himself up, he was annoyed but he accepted his defeat. Of course, he won't say it aloud though. If he did, he knows he wouldn't be able to resist punching Luffy's defiant face. Sabo squatted down next to Ace and tried to suppress his nosebleed.

'You're fighting me next Ace, get ready. I won't take it easy.' Sabo said with a devious grin. Ace nodded as if accepting the challenge. Suddenly springing into action, the two clashed their weapons and began to parry each other's blows as if they were testing one another. Pouncing backwards to gain distance, they stood there, panting while observing the other, guessing their next move. Like in synch, the boys jumped into the air and charged at each other. Sabo took the initiative and threw a punch. Ace, deducting his move dodge to aside and with a smile, he announced, 'It's my win today!' He sent a kick straight to Sabo's gut and they landed on the ground. Sabo lay on his back and moaned painfully while Ace landed with a victorious smile.

'Cool!' Luffy ran towards the two, a stupid grin on her face. She grabbed Sabo's arm and pulled him to his feet before shouting excitedly, 'Sabo, Sabo! Fight me!'

'Sure.' Sabo stood up and got into fighting position, 'This is the last fight before we calculate the score so let's make it a good one, okay?' Sabo announce. He had gotten more relaxed about the entire 'being a girl problem'. Luffy was still Luffy and that was great. She didn't even mean to hide her gender; it was the two of them mistaking it on their own. Sabo smiled as he charged at the young girl with all his might with a battle cry but Luffy didn't move. Sabo thought for a moment when he finally realised the girl had something up her sleeves. But it was too late to back down now, he send his kick into the air.

'Gomu Gomu no… Flytrap!' She reached for her fingers and stretched them out. His leg was caught between them and he was unable to pull back. Luffy twisted her arms and wrapped the fingers around Sabo's calf. With all her might, she swung him into the air, releasing her fingers as she slammed him down to the ground. After spinning one round in the air, Sabo landed face first onto the earth, 'Oomph.' He let out.

Sabo turned around on the earth and let out a laugh, 'A new move, huh? I let my guard down 'cause I thought I knew all your trick, Lu.'

'Oh, and what a mistake that was.' Luffy said with a grin. She pulled him up and they went over to see the scores.

Ace felt annoyed. Why didn't Luffy help him up when he fell? Why didn't Luffy treat him as nicely as he treated Sabo? Ace grumbled… Suddenly, like someone had hit its break, Ace's train of thoughts stopped. Why would he be annoyed by something like that? He didn't usually get irritated by that right? Usually it's more about his father and his birth or something that he would get this disrupted. Why would he be feeling like this now? He waved a hand in the air as if trying to shoo away the thought like he was trying to keep a fly away. He followed the two excited figure to the score board and leaned closer, 'So how is it?'

'It's a tie; all of us have 47 points.' Sabo frowned. Luffy was rather disappointed. They decided the loser would have to hunt but if there is no loser, then who would hunt? The coal-haired girl thought for a moment (she realised she liked thinking more after her adventures in her last life) then jumped up. She turned to Ace, making his cheeks reddened, then to Sabo, 'I have an idea!'

'What is it?' Ace turned away to hide his blush, his voice suddenly angry.

Luffy ignored his angry tone and continued, 'How about this? We all go our separate ways in the jungle and by the end of the afternoon, the one to return here with the biggest prey is the winner, the smallest prey will have to supply the food for tomorrow?'

Sabo caressed his imaginary goatee for a moment before nodding in agreement, 'Sure. We all return here by five, okay?' They nodded in agreement before heading of in different directions. And just as promised, by 5 P.M, the three siblings had returned with their prey covered by layers of cloth for the element of surprise. They lay the three beasts down and counted, 'Three, two, one!' And they all pulled of the cloak.

Three gigantic crocodiles lay silently in the dirt, each wrapped up neatly in vines. The children looked at each other for a second then suddenly burst out laughing, 'Oh my god, I can't believe we all caught the same thing!' Sabo said as he wiped an artificial tear of his eye, he was laughing so hard he could barely speak.

'They're even the same size!' Luffy pointed out while lying on the ground, giggling loudly. Ace was laughing too but he didn't comment. Sometimes, he would direct his glance over to Luffy and unconsciously smile.

The three troublemakers hauled their dinner home with pride and nearly shocked Dogra, Magra and Dadan to death. It was known that it's best not to mess with the crocodiles, tigers and bears of Mt Corvo and look what these three monsters did? Dadan spent the rest of the day skinning the crocodiles and slicing up their flesh. She announced that they have gathered enough food for the next week so they no longer need to hunt for food. Running out of things to do, the three were absolutely bored. They tried to play tag, hide and seek, card games and train but they still ended up with time to spare.

'I'm bored.' Luffy whined. She was lying with her chest against the ground, her limbs stretched out and her cheeks presses against the grassy field. Ace sat crossed-leg next to her, his hands still fumbling with his broken pipe which was cut by Porchemy. 'Deal with it, we all are.'

'Maybe we should go into the jungle and explore a little bit.' Sabo said as he ruffled through Luffy's messy hair. The young girl's head shot up, 'Can we?'

Ace reached over with his pipe and hit Luffy on the head, 'No, we can't, it's the most dangerous time of the year to mess with the Tiger Lord.'

'If only we have something to sell, we could just visit the town and sell some stuff.' Sabo said as he settled down next to Luffy. He hadn't realised it himself but he was quite fond of the girl and saw her as something near a sister.

'Yeah, then we'll have something to do and also get money for our Fund.' Ace nodded in agreement.

Luffy lay still for a moment then suddenly jumped up, 'I got it! We could sell the crocodile skin!'

Sabo thought for a minute before nodding and standing up with Luffy, 'Yeah! That would work!' He ruffled the coal black strands and said with a grin, 'Sometimes you just come up with the nicest ideas, Lu.'

'Hehe, thanks.' Luffy said as she grinned back. Ace stood up, though he felt slightly unsettled by the scene (he didn't know why), he still smiled and approached his two best friends, 'I'm sure Dadan is having the same idea as us so… let's smug some of those crocodile skin, shall we?'

* * *

 _ **The Great Gates**_

The tall wall stretched to the sky and in front of the gates that separates the most beautiful kingdom in the world and its trash, lines of people were travelling into the city. The dirty men stumbled in from the trash heaps and headed to the Edge Town, each carrying merchandises of many kinds. A certain man wearing an old cape with a hood covering his face, staggering like he had a broken leg, came forward, with a makeshift trolley in his hand. A piece of stained blue-grey cloth covered the object he carried, giving him a suspicious aura.

The guard raised an arm and stopped the man in his tracks, he inquired, 'Hey wait, what are you carrying there?' he rifle held tight in his hands.

'Crocodile skin, I am going to sell it.' The man spoke, voice deep and raspy. He reached down and reveals the snout of a crocodile, making the guard jolt back. 'Move along!' He permitted, his voice slightly frightened.

The man simply staggered forward, venturing deeper into the Edge Town, or as they say, the lawless town. This is where the hoodlums and outlaws of the kingdom gather. Ignoring the gazes of the delinquents, the weapons they held gleaming in their hands, the man walked forward. A hoodlum, probably the leader of the group surrounding that particular alley way, approached the man with a staff in his hands. He held it over shoulders and said with ignorance in his voice, 'Hey, old man, why don't you just leave that package of yours here?' He snickered aloud. The underlings laughed along with the man and they began to gang upon the hooded figure.

'Oi!' The ignorant hoodlum called aloud, seeing as the man gave no reaction, 'Say something already!'

'Shut up you pathetic hoodlum.' The man said with a voice that seemed unfit for his figure. The delinquent stepped back, an annoyed look on his face, 'What?' But before he could react, the cape fluttered, revealing a hand where his legs should've been. And using the long iron pipe in its grip, the hand knocked the stranger down.

'This guy's…' He grumbled in surprised, his underling also draped with the same shocked look.

'If you're going to rob someone…' The man spoke as he reached for his cape. With a wave of the arm, the clothing was sent flying, revealing three young children sitting on top of one another, each of them with the same smug grin on their faces. Ace, the person on top, finished his declaration, 'You should choose your victims more carefully!'

The men backed up in precaution and tighten the grip on their weapons, 'It's the group from the other day!' One on them shouted. Before any of the men could react, the children pounced up and charged into battle.

* * *

In their disguise once again, the three little monsters wandered deeper into the city. They had now approached the High Town, where all the royalty and nobles lived. This town was rumoured to be the most beautiful town in East Blue and at first look the statement would be correct. The people were all dressed in the most glamorous clothes, each of them wearing a smile. The building shined and sparkled as if they were made of gold and silver. The streets were cleaned and organised and if felt as if there was not even a speck of dirt in the air.

The hooded figure walked passed countless people who all stopped in their tracks. Upon closer inspections, you could make out the ugliness in their look. How their faces contorted in disgust as they look upon the man carrying the trolley.

'I'm glad we got so much money for the crocodile skin!' Sabo said in an excited whisper, ignoring the people giving them their horrid looks. 'Now, we've got even more for the Pirate Fund!'

'That's great!' Luffy said with a smile but then she frowned again, 'but I'm hungry.'

'Hang in there just a little bit longer.' Ace said as he looked down at his brothers. He was still the head while Sabo was the torso and Luffy was the legs. The young girl had been whining for a while now about how heavy they were. 'You'll get to eat a lot of delicious ramen after this!'

'Ramen?' Luffy asked, feigning ignorance, 'Wassat?'

'Is it good?' Sabo inquired, interested too. Luffy stuck out her tongue and began to drool, 'Anything would be good to eat right now.'

Ace sighed, 'We're almost there!' They stopped at their tracks, the citizens avoiding them by all means. A sign in velvet red with the golden words: 'Fine Dining – EIICHIROU', Chinese lanterns decorated its side. The green building stretched high and Ace couldn't help but let out a grin.

They stepped inside and were greeted by a smug looking waiter, 'Welcome-' He stopped mid track, cold sweat break out under his skin. He waved his hands in the air and charged forward, 'W-wait a minute! This restaurant doesn't serve your kind!' He said in a disgusting tone.

Sabo jumbled through his jackets, searching through his pockets and took out a golden locket. It glimmered under the light like a cat's eye; the daisy flower imbedded on it sparkled in authority. The man was taken aback by the object and he was silenced.

'I would like a private room, please.' He faked his voice.

'That crest…' He managed to mutter before backing away with an abashed look. 'Such an honour! A noble coming to our humble restaurant. We will prepare you a room immediately!' His was voice sickeningly sweet.

The hooded figure stood still and tucked the crest back into the pocket. Ace mumbled to Sabo, 'That's a handy thing you've got there!'

'Uh- Yeah, I picked it up in town earlier…' Sabo replied hesitantly.

 _Lie._ Luffy thought to herself but she kept quiet. It was not the time to mention it yet. She ducked her head down as she felt cold sweat falling from Sabo's chin. He was nervous. They were later greeted by a clumsy maid who led them to a VIP room and served them three bowls of ramen. She bowed down humbly about three times before exiting the room while saying, 'Take your time and enjoy!'

'So this is ramen?' Sabo poked out from under the cloak. Luffy appeared too, her head nodding happily. It smelled so delicious and tempting though, it was not as good as his crew's chef's cooking. Ace pulled off the cape and said, a grin spreading across his face, 'Well, try eating 'em.'

The three slurped down the noodles like soup and finished the three portions in a matter of seconds. They called for another three bowls of ramen and finished it immediately too. The order kept coming and coming and the bowls were stacking higher and higher. The chefs were freaking out as they worked themselves to half-death while the maid was fighting with a battle of stamina. By this time, one who did not realise that this man had something suspicious, they must be blinded by many things. Only until the moment Luffy accidentally stretched her hand out to grab the ramen order from the maid did she realise something was wrong.

The men scurried upstairs towards the room where the children were. Hearing the frantic footsteps of the staffs, Luffy gulped down her noodles and pointed to the door. Ace and Sabo turned around but it was too late. The manager had already entered the room with a scowl, 'Customer, I was just told that…'

'Oh shit!' Ace shouted.

'We're busted!' Sabo said as they took off the cloak. Luffy grabbed the last bowl and poured it down her throat as she grabbed her two brothers and they charged out the window, 'Let's run!'

The three fell down from above with a rain of shattered glass, startling the people on the streets. The manager peeked out the broken window while shouting, 'Catch them! They just ate without paying!' The children fell from the building, ignoring the astonished looks on the people's faces. Luffy grabbed on a flag pole, spinning one round and landed on the ground with a back flip. Ace followed and Sabo fell on top of Luffy. 'Sorry.' He said with a shy smile. Of course, the young girl didn't mind, it didn't hurt anyways. She supported him to his feet and they started evading at top speed.

'It's those three again.' A snob looking police officer said. 'They are known criminals! Why'd you let them in?'

'Someone, catch them! Don't let them escape!' The manager of the restaurant shouted for help in useless effort. No one had the mind to do it anyways, why bother call for help? They only avoided the three children and let them escape the edge of the town.

'To think they'd escaped through the window…' The maid said aghast, 'This is the fourth floor!'

'Tch, and now they've costed us a window and 26 bowls of ramen.' The manager sighed, his voice full of disappointment like a man he found an empty treasure chest.

'Manager! A note was left, it says: When I own One Piece, I'll pay you. By Luffy!' One of the staff read aloud, crumbling the scrap paper in his hands.

* * *

The three children ran across the street with stupid grins on their faces. It was a good day. They had gotten over their boredom, earned money for their Fund and were allowed to try some new, tasty ramen. It was one of those days that Sabo loved.

'Sabo?' A voice called aloud and the blond young boy could feel his happiness crumble to dust. He told himself to not turn around and continue running when the voice called out again, 'Isn't that Sabo? Wait!'

Sabo couldn't help his reflexes. He stopped in his track and turned towards the voice that he dreaded. A man, in about his fifties, wearing a dark blue coat with a top hat similar to Sabo's except for the golden feathers attached to it. He was tall with greasy, curly black hair, a snobby face and a line of thin moustache over his lips. It was the face that Sabo hated the most in the world.

'You're still alive?' He said as he approached the boy. Sabo shot him an annoyed look, ignoring him while his brothers begin to surround him. Ace asked, eyeing him suspiciously, 'Hey, Sabo, he's calling for you. Do you know him?'

'He's just mistaken. Let's go.' Sabo shouted, more like to himself, and continued to run forward. Luffy had a worried look in her eyes but wiped it away before anyone could notice. They headed off into the jungle, leaving the man behind to his own distress.

* * *

'What? I'm not hiding anything.' Sabo said at his two friends who continued to spy on him suspiciously. Cold sweat broke up on his skin and he could feel his palms clenched up. He flinched under the gazes but couldn't turn away.

'Spit it out!' The two others said in unison. Ace declared angrily, 'It's not okay to keep secrets from each other you know!'

Sabo was cornered. He didn't know what to do. He could tell them and allow himself to lose his to bestest friends or get beaten up by both Ace and Luffy. Pondering for a moment, he opened his only to close it the next millisecond. Let's trying lying to them first, 'I'm telling you, I'm not-' Before he could finish his sentence, his was immediately cut off by the two of them as they throttle him.

'Tell us!' Ace shouted, fuming with anger,

'Okay…' Sabo croaked as he clutched his neck, 'I'll t-tell you.' They loosened the grip and Sabo leaned back against the tree bark. He said in a hesitant voice, 'He was a noble.'

'Who?' Ace and Luffy said in unison.

'The man calling to me!' Sabo said, suddenly regretting telling it to the two of them.

'Okay. So?' They said.

'I'm his son!' Sabo said angrily, how could they be so similar while not being blood related?

'Okay. So?' Again, the two spoke in synch.

'I'm a noble.' Sabo shouted, his hand thrown into the air like he was praying to god.

'So?' They said again while picking into their noses and Sabo blew his fuse. 'YOU WERE THE ONE WHO ASKED ME FOR THIS!'

'The truth was I wasn't even a child from the Grey Terminal. I am not an orphan and both of my parents are alive. I lied to you.' He said with a guilty look on his face, he stared down to his feet to avoid eye contact, 'I'm sorry.'

'I'm shocked.' Ace said as he turned his back toward his friend, a cold aura surrounded him, 'If you were a noble, why would you want to live here?'

Luffy kept silent, she already knew the answer and she was heartbroken. She stationed nest to Sabo and laid a hand on his reassuringly. Sabo smiled at the gesture and continued, 'The reason why I ran away from was because my parents… they didn't see as a son. They saw me as a tool. They didn't love me; they loved the power, the money I could bring to them. We'd fight almost daily because I could never get high score in studies and they would even value a royal child over me. If I couldn't marry a royal girl, I'll just be trash to them.' He felt like crying and his brain to stop but he couldn't, 'It's bad enough for you two but even with parents… I was lonely.'

Luffy pulled Sabo into a warm, reassuring hug, subtly telling him to stop talking and that they understand. They stayed in that position for a moment before Sabo stood up and announce with a smile, 'Ace, Luffy, the three of us have to sail out to sea one day. We'll escape this country and we'll live as freely as possible! I will travel the world and write a book about my adventures. We'll get stronger and become pirates!' He raised his hand in the air happily.

The two D siblings grinned brightly and Ace stood up, his chest puffed out with prideful, 'I'll become a pirate anyways and I will defeat everyone in my way and carve my name onto the world. All will know of me and that will be the proof that I have lived!' He announced, his head held high with a smile. Luffy couldn't help but smile too, seeing his brother so happy. Ace continued like challenging the world, 'Even if the world hates me, even if the people loathe me, I'll be a great pirate and stand above everyone else! I will not run and win every fight! I will make people remember my name, even if it's through fear.'

'Hehe, that's so?' Luffy laughed happily as she ran up to the cliff's edge. She took in a deep breath and shouted, 'Then I'll be… THE PIRATE KING!'

The waves crashed against the cliff-side, shaking the earth underneath. Ace face-palmed himself and Sabo began to laugh his head off, soon he was joined in by Luffy. Sabo ruffled her hair, 'You're interesting, Luffy. I'd like to see your future!'

'Then join my crew.' Luffy said happily though she already knew the answer.

'No way.' The two brothers said in unison.

 **I'll release a new chapter every two weeks so look forward to them. Thank you to all the readers and the reviewers, love the Fav/Followers. Hope you like this chapter as much as the other ones. ;)**


	4. Chapter 4: Home of Ours

**EARLY UPDATE!**

 **I really really really appreciate the people who had Fav and Follow this story, and thank the ones who reviewed even more. Sorry for the mistakes. And like always, enjoy the story. Oh, and this chap is a bit shorter compared to the other ones, kay?**

 **Disclaimer: If i owned One Piece i would thank the gods. (cry) But i don't own it.**

Resting her head on her two tiny palms, Luffy stared at the rain as it pattered on the forest floor. She lay on her belly, slightly revealing her back as she watched the water colliding with the ground. Luffy had managed to keep herself entertained while her brothers lightly snored under their breaths. Currently, the three rested under the roots of a gigantic tall tree deep in the forest to shelter from the sudden downpour and Luffy couldn't find the mind to sleep. She was awfully occupied with the thought of finally owning a hideout with her brothers.

So, how did the three siblings get themselves caught in this situation?

 ** _About 12 hours ago… Three weeks after their exchange of sake…_**

'Luffy-san, I came in for a visit.' Makino said as she peeked into the hut, Dadan and her colleagues following behind the young woman. Dadan was silently engaging an argument with Mayor Woop Slap while Magra tried to calm her down.

'Makino!' Luffy jumped off from the second floor and landed on her feet with a thud. Makino braced herself as Luffy pounced at her and locked her in a warm embrace.

'It's been six months since you left, we were worried so we decided to visit.' Mayor Woop Slap said with a smile that contradicted his usual scowl immensely. 'But who would've thought you would be living with mountain bandits…'

He left his sentence afloat to return the glare Dadan had thrown at him. Luffy pulled Makino by the arm and signalled her brothers to come down. She spoke with a cheery smile, 'Guys, meet Makino!'

'Hello,' Makino waved her, a kind smile on her face. 'By the way, I brought you guys some presents.'

 _So that's Makino, the mother like figure Luffy was always talking about._ Sabo stepped down from the stairs and walked towards the young woman. He bowed, took off his top hat and said with a grin, 'Nice to meet you.'

'Oh, what a charming young man.' Makino giggled and continued, 'I brought you guys some new clothes in case Garp didn't think about it.' She took of her basket, laid it on the ground and flipped over the cover, revealing layers of freshly made clothes. Luffy and Sabo leaned closer to look at the pieces of cloth before picking them to take a closer look. Suddenly, Luffy turned to Sabo, 'Where's Ace?'

Sabo pointed up above and said with a sly smirk, 'Still sleeping like a dead person.'

'You did it, didn't you?' Luffy leaned closer and asked secretively.

'Was just doing some 'connect the dots', he won't mind.' He laughed slightly, an evil smile on his face. Luffy laughed out loud, trying to imagine what kind of look Ace would make when he sees his face in the mirror.

Makino looked at them questioningly before taking out a little pink dress with the words 'ANCHOR' on them and pressing it onto Luffy, 'You'll look perfect in this, Lu.'

Luffy pouted and pushed it aside, 'But I want something I can run around in. And also Ace would laugh at me it I wear a dress.' Sabo smirked; he seriously doubted that would be true. From the looks of an outsider, Ace seems to be head over heels for Luffy. The blond smiled to himself before picking up a blue tank top and inspected it. He didn't know why but he had always been unconsciously attracted to blue objects. Makino slightly disappointed about Luffy's reaction but soon got over it, seeing how Sabo was finally interested.

'I wasn't sure about the size so try it on and I'll fix it for you.' Makino turned her attention to Sabo and said with a generous smile. But before they could continue, a loud shout exploded, rumbling the house, 'WHO DID THIS?'

Luffy smiled as she ran away with a pile of hand selected clothing. Sabo turned around; his face decorated with his own little grin and also darted off, following behind the young girl. Makino couldn't even react before and loud bang echoed from above and Ace landed onto the first floor. Makino put a hand to her mouth to suppress her laugh while the young raven haired boy panted hastily, his face red from either embarrassment or anger. Dadan walked in, ready to ask why Luffy and Sabo had ran off but was stopped by her own laughter. Well, no one could really not laugh if they saw Ace's face. Lines of dark ink decorated his cheeks, connecting his freckles together, forming a flower on one cheek and a smiley face with hearts as eyes on the other. On his forehead were the letters: 'LOVER BOY'. Ace angrily followed the two outside the house while screaming lines of curses.

'You really did it.' Luffy said as she leaned closer to Sabo, a devious smile on her face.

'T'was your idea.' The blond boy stuck out his tongue and the two siblings ran through the jungle

 _Half an hour later_

Luffy stood to aside, watching Makino try on clothes for Ace. Sabo stood next to her, dress in a pair of new blue shorts and tank top. The two both have a giant bump on their head and both were decorated with wryly snickers.

The young coal haired boy stood with his back stiff as he felt Makino's hand grazed on his skin. His face blushed deeply; making the other two fell on their backs with laughter yet again. He grunted and glared at them. Then Ace squirmed, trying to move out of the way to attack the other two only to be stopped by Makino, 'Now, now, don't move just yet.'

Slightly hesitant, the ten year old boy decided to stand still. 'I'll get you later…' Ace grumbled under his breath, the blush creeping back under the black smudges on his cheeks.

After they were done with the clothes, Makino went into the hut to prepare the dinner. Smelling the alluring scent of cooking food, the three children couldn't help but race into the kitchen, drool running down the edge of their mouths. The barmaid only chuckled as she placed out the plates, three young siblings following behind her like a tail. Right at the moment she finished displaying the food, Luffy had managed to hop on the table and began chowing down food.

'Come on, let's hurry or no Luffy'll finish everything before anyone could even begin eating!' Ace pulled Sabo on the table before they both shouted, 'Thank you for the food!'

Forgetting she was supposed to have some courtesy, Luffy said in a muffled voice, 'Shank kyou for de food.'

The bandits rushed in a minute after only to see the feast was already half finished. Luffy burped lightly, followed by Ace's loud burp then Sabo's, 'That was delicious!'

'Yeah!' Ace nodded in agreement.

'It's gonna be hard to get good food like this on our voyage. When I go to sea, the first thing I'm gonna do is to add the greatest cook in the world into my crew!' Sabo announced happily.

'I'm gonna become a pirate first so that's impossible!' Ace leaned in and said proudly.

'That's not fair! I'll become a pirate before both of you!' Luffy jumped into the conversation, latching onto Ace as she nearly fell. Ace blushed slightly, which had not gone unnoticed by Sabo. The blond boy only grinned and the three continued on with their pirate talk, completely unaware of the towering shadow behind them.

'PFFT!' The bandits spitted out their food in unison, finally aware of the man standing in the back. He wore a Hawaiian T-shirt and slick, black pants, his eyes gleam with pure evil. Stopped by their caretaker's reaction, the three children looked to their backs, their face turning from pink to green to a pale shade of blue.

'Are you to still going on about that?' Garp grunted loudly, his voice sending shivers down their spines. Luffy scrambled to her feet, trying to escape her grandpa's 'fist of love' before he even raised it.

'I'm telling you guys to become Marines! Is that so hard to understand?!' Garp shouted and the young girl could feel a hard surface knock against her skull. _He'd just have to use Haki?_ She grumbled angrily in her head. Luffy fell to the ground and soon, Ace and Dadan accompanied her on the floor.

'Why'd you hit me too?' Dadan said with a painful frown.

'I'm not happy with the way you're raising these kids!' Garp said with a defiant stance, his fist held high.

Makino had already gone off with Mayor Woop Slap and left Sabo alone to his fear coated shock, 'So that's Garp? This old guy is Ace's and Lu's grandfather?'

'Kid. You were talking about going out to sea too, right?' Garp asked, his death glare sending a cold chill down Sabo's spine. The blond boy took a step back but he was stopped by Ace and Luffy, 'You should share our pain too, we're brothers, right?' They said with sly grins.

The two black haired kids pushed Sabo forward, cold sweat dripping from his chin as they introduced, 'This is Sabo, he's our brother.' The two snickered.

'Oh, so now there's three little idiots who wants me to give them a work out?' The grandfather leered at them with mischievousness as he cracked his knuckles. His look was returned by three hesitant pair of eyes, cold sweat running down their pale cheeks.

* * *

It was the worst nightmare of Sabo life, not counting his parents, of course. The three brothers collapsed on the ground, bruises and cuts surrounded their body. Luffy had led them to an escape route but it only took Garp a matter of time before he caught up. He had wrecked nearly one sixth of the forest with this training session, Ace didn't even want to know what he will make them do tomorrow.

'We've got to get some medical supplies to cure these wounds before they get infected.' Sabo suggested as he picked himself up to his feet. Ace latched onto his arm to support himself up. He stumbled slightly as the two come to grab Luffy, who was sleeping by a tree stump. Sabo carried his sister piggyback style and the three managed to drag themselves back to the hut, the translucent moonlight guiding their way. They walked through the rustling forest and by the time they had returned to the hut, Luffy had awoken.

The three little monsters stared at their caretakers from a hole on the broken down hut. Ace grunted and Sabo shivered at the sight of their grandfather. The bandits were all sprawled on the ground, snoring away their hangover. Ace eyed the marine Hero and said the obvious, 'At this rate, he'll kill us by tomorrow.'

'Even if we survive long enough to go to sea, we'll be beaten until we give up on being pirates.' Sabo replied in a whisper. Luffy sat next to the two and nodded enthusiastically. Her face scrunched together as she cringed at the thought of training with Garp.

'Now that it's come to this…' Ace leaned closer, a devious grin on his lips, 'There is only one solution. It's time for us to make a choice, brothers!'

* * *

Dadan woke up with a shoe on her face, literally. Garp had kicked her straight on the nose and she could feel the hot liquid oozing out. The bandits' boss sat up and yawn aloud then, she looked around the room, expecting some weird prank to happen but nothing occurred. This worried her… Wait, what? Why would it worry her? She didn't care about the kids did she? Of course she didn't, that's stupid. She looked around the room once more and something caught her attention. A white note piece with crudely written letter was attached to a column.

WE ARE MOVING OUT

A.S.L

It said. Dadan turned to aside and looked away. _So their moving out, those three monsters… THEY'RE MOVING OUT!?_ Dadan shouted, her voice echoing through the trees.

 ** _Back to current time…._**

Think back on the thought, Luffy couldn't help but giggle. They were running away when they were caught by a sudden downpour, seeing the tree was the closest shelter, they decided to stay there for the night.

The sun had risen, lighting up the sky, blinding the stars away. The bird morning tweets echoed through the forest and remnants of the downpour dripped along the trees. Sabo woke up to feel Ace leaning against his back and Luffy sleeping silently on the ground with her chest against the earth. That's odd. He remembered that when they arrived at the roots of the tree, Luffy was sitting against the two of them. _Maybe she woke up… That's impossible, Luffy's not the kind of person to wake up in the middle of the night._ Sabo shrugged the thought aside and decided to exit tree.

He set his foot on the damped earth and peered up at the huge tree. He liked it, from the looks; it seemed like the largest tree in the forest. Thinking of something amazing, Sabo couldn't help the grin that was about to spread across his cheeks.

'Ugh…' A little voice moaned, as the young raven haired girl shuffled in her sleep. Luffy sat up and rubbed her eyes off its drowsiness. 'Sabo, you're up… Did I fall asleep?'

'Hey, Lu, I've got a great idea!' Sabo crouched down at the girl and help her to her feet.

Luffy looked up at him before grinning too, 'I wanna hear it! But… should we wake up Ace?' The two siblings eyed Ace for a moment, shrugged and said in unison, 'Meh, we'll tell him later.'

'So, what are you planning?' Luffy turned to Sabo and said with a smile.

Sabo took a stick and scribbled down a few drawings onto the earth, 'We're going to build our base.' Then he looked up and pointed at the gigantic tree, 'Right there.' They directed their gaze onto the biggest branch of the tree.

'That's gonna be so cool.' Luffy pointed at the circular tree house drawn onto the ground and complemented with a smile.

'I thought that since you're a girl, you'll want some private space sometimes. So on the other side of the tree trunk; we'll build our private rooms. They will be small and in cube shapes.' Sabo scribbled another drawing onto the ground. This time, it was three small boxes with windows and each decorated with the letters A, S and L. Sabo continued, 'We could sleep together sometimes but we'll keep our things and mainly sleep in there.'

Luffy nodded, though she liked to sleep with her brothers, she would also like some alone time because one of the comrades she made later in her last life – if she remembered correctly - had taught her about gender differences and how girls should not be too close to boys she doesn't love. And love here is like love love okay?

'That's great! We could get all the materials we need from the Grey Terminal!' Luffy cheered and they commenced their plans.

Ace was awoken by the sound of hammer against wood. He sat up and looked outside. It was already late noon and he could feel the burning sunlight against his skin. The young boy stood up and exited only to meet with his two brothers, hammering nails onto a few wooden boards. Luffy noticed him first and jumped in to tackle him. Ace dodged to a side on instinct and grabbed onto the young girl's scruff before she could collide against the ground. 'What are you guys doing?' Ace asked as he moved Luffy up to face him, his hand still holding onto her shirt.

'We're building a secret base!' Luffy cheered as she raised her hands into the air. Unfortunately, as she raised them, the hammer in her hand knocked hard against Ace's chin. Startled from the pain, Ace dropped the young girl. 'Oomph.' She managed as her face planked against the ground.

'Ow…' The boy hissed, a hand to his chin and he turned to look up at the sky, trying to calm his anger towards his friend. Luffy jumped to her feet and approached her brother with caution, 'Sorry, you okay?' She didn't like it when Ace gets angry.

The raven haired boy looked down again only meet with Luffy's big round eyes that was only about a few inches away from him. He felt a rising heat come to his cheeks and turned away, using the shadows of the leaves to hide his nervousness. 'I'm fine.' He grumbled.

'Oh, that's great. Here's your hammer.' Luffy stuffed a worn out hammer into his hands. 'We're building the floor right now. Later on, we'll carry it up to that branch.' She pointed to the biggest branch of the tree, 'and start on the supports of the base. Then we'll start on the framing…' Luffy continued to blabber on. She still remembered how her shipwright would tell her all of these things when had free time. He even taught her how to hammer properly and thing but she had forgotten a lot of them already.

'Come on, Ace. Stop dazing around and let's get started.' Sabo called to his brother.

 ** _Two months later…_**

'We're almost done!' Luffy cheered, looking at her brothers from across the flickering flames. They nodded happily along with her, 'We've only got the staircase that connects the rooms and the crow's nest left to build.' Luffy laughed happily and went over to hug her brothers. It's been two months since they began their project and it had become a routine in their daily lives. In the morning, they would wake up and go to the Terminal to get supplies. By lunch, one of them would hunt while the others work on the base. And at night, they would set a campfire and rest. Then, the routine repeats. They had worked hard for them past months and they will have their own little hideout.

'Come on, Lu. Get off.' Ace pushed her off, a slight blush on his freckled cheeks. 'Let's go to sleep.'

'Yup!' Luffy jumped up and stretched her hand. Grabbing onto a branch, the young girl shot herself up and landed inside the tree house, face first, of course. Sabo climbed up the trunk, shaking his head and sighing silently. When will his little sister actually act like a girl? God knows.

'Ace, are you coming?' The blond boy looked down and inquired.

'Yeah.' Snapping out from his daze, Ace followed Sabo up the tree and they all entered their boat like, circular tree house. Luffy had already laid out her blankets and was snoring slightly. The other two followed the young girl's example and they all went into deep sleep, thinking of their busy tomorrow. None of them aware of Dadan and her bandits who were freaking out at their hut.

'You still haven't found them?' Dadan screeched. She sat next a brim filled basket of finished cigarettes, her face squeezing together in anger. Those kids have been gone for weeks and none of her men could find them.

'We've heard news of them in the jungle and the Terminal but gathered nothing specific!' One of her staffs informed her frantically.

'Now, now boss. They had wreaked havoc across the island, I'm sure they're in no danger.' Magra said as he laid a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. But Dadan, completely ignorant of her right man's word, broke out in panic. 'What if they were eaten by the tiger or captured by the royal guards or something!'

'Boss… It seems like you are worrying for the boys.' Dogra said as he drank a sip from his tea. The bandits' leader stopped in her tracks and turned to her chief of staff with a rigid face, cold sweat running down her cheeks, 'What do you mean? I don't care if they d-die. I'm worried out Garp killing us when they die…'

'Sure, sure.' Dogra took another sip of his tea and stared at his boss, a pink blush running across her cheek. Dadan grunted and turned away, 'What are you guys doing? Go hunt some food for dinner already!'

'Yes Boss!' They shouted in unison and scurried off. Dadan sighed and sat down next to her basket once again.

* * *

'We're done!' The three hugged each other as they stood back to stare at their work, they were proud. They ran through the place, organising their cube like rooms and applying the finishing touches. Ace's room was painted in a shade of orange and yellow, a letter 'A' painted on the outside wall in black. Sabo's room was decorated with different shade of blue and held many books and paper. Luffy's room was coloured in bright red and she had covered its inner walls with pictures and painting of her past adventures. The ghost ship, the sky island, the underwater island… It was all drawn on the walls. Though she was sad that she had to forget all the names and faces of her past comrades, she was happy she still remembered her adventures with them and was sure she could find them again. Luffy laughed to herself and exited her room. Running across the rigid staircase, she called for her brothers to come with her to the crow's nest.

'What is it?' Ace grumbled. He was organising the treasure they had stolen for the pirate fund in his room.

'Come on! I wanna show you something!' Luffy pulled his hand, completely oblivious about his deeply blushed face. Sabo tailed behind the two, snickering under his breath.

They climbed up to the observation deck and she showed them the view of the Dawn Island. It was truly breath-taking. They laughed as they pointed out the different places they went to and what trouble they cause while they were there. Luffy told them about Shanks and how they met and how she got her scar. Sabo hit her on the head for being stupid but the seven year old girl only laughed it off.

'Now that I think about it, this is supposed to be a secret hideout isn't it?' Ace turned to Sabo. 'Why don't we set up some traps?'

The three grinned at the thought and commenced onto setting up traps for intruders, completely oblivious of the fact that a day later, Dadan would trigger it and run away with a grumble under her breath.

 **Thank you all for reading this fanfic! I hope you like it. Just a warning, the timeline here is not the same as either the manga or anime. And for the good of the story, pls Review. :3**

 **Next release is in two weeks, remember. The next chap is about the fire in Grey Terminal, look forward to it. Next chap: Chapter 5: Noble's Blood, Cursed Blood**

 **Love, Knox**


	5. Chapter 5: Noble's Blood, Cursed Blood

**Hello, guys. Another early update! Yay! Do you guys like the story up until now? Tell me in the review. What do you want to change about it? tell that too. I'm kinda sad nobody review about my story... But, if you guys like it, i'll just keep writing. also, this chap is a little bit longer than the others (all the actions are in this chap!)**

 **Thank all of you who reviewed, favorited and follow this story. I LOVE YOU READERS!**

 **JUST SO YOU KNOW: i have just rewrite the beginning of the first chapter, if any of you want to read it, go ahead.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, kay? Saying this every time is very depressing**

* * *

 **NOBLE'S BLOOD, CURSED BLOOD**

It has been a few weeks since Luffy was revealed to the fact that Gol D. Roger was her beloved brother's father.

Last night, the siblings faced a strong gust storm, resulting to their base being wrecked. Pieces of wooden planks littered the ground underneath the base as the result of the struggle. Concluding that they'd need to gather material to fix their home, the brothers head for Grey Terminal.

'Come on! Let's gather some wood.' Sabo commanded as he led his brothers towards the Trash Mountains.

'Yeah! I'll surely find a telescope this time round!' Luffy cheered as she waved her metal pipe around. She was so excited; maybe she'll really get a telescope. She remembered in her last life, no one ever let her touch the tool.

'Do you really think something like that will fall out of the sky?' Ace grumbled as he aimed his pole down onto Luffy's head. He wondered how stupid his brother could possibly be.

'Maybe.' Luffy said as she dodged aside, her tongue sticking out from under her lips.

'If that's so, I'd rather want a canon.' Ace smirked.

Watching his siblings argue about little petty things every day, Sabo had become accustomed to it. Though, he couldn't help but shake his head.

'You know, if canons were to fell out from the sky, it'd be awesome!' Luffy said after thinking for a moment. She jumped up and skipped her way through the trashy plain. Luffy hummed a song that she remembered her musician usually sings and used her pipe to sort through garbage sprawled on the ground. Though she was happy to go on an adventure with her brothers, she couldn't help but feel that she was missing something. Something _big_.

'Luffy! Try and get us some new wood already!' Ace shouted as he looked down at her from a pile of trash. Ignoring her brother's words, Luffy continued to jumble through the heaps of garbage, searching for the one and only telescope.

Sabo headed to his siblings after gathering as many wooden planks as he could carry, 'This should be enough!' Then, a gleam from under his foot caught his eye. Looking down did he realised it was a telescope. A silver one, rather worn out but still usable. Sabo picked it up, a grin plastered on his face. _Luffy would love this!_ He thought as he ran towards his little sister. Suddenly, in order to not bump into the person who definitely stepped in his path on purpose, Sabo stopped in his tracks. The men looked down on him, snickering evilly. Sabo turned his head upwards and focused on the shadow standing behind the two men. It was Bluejam. The pirate captain with his despicable grin and his arrogant look, a captain jacket hung from his shoulders, covering his huge frame. Unkempt mane of black hair flowed down from his tanned skull and swayed in the stench-filled wind as he stepped forward.

'Hey, kiddo.' He greeted with a disgusting grin that revealed his horrible teeth. 'I would never have guessed a noble would be one of the infamous troublemakers!' He boomed.

'Bluejam…' Sabo glared at the man, his hand stashing away the telescope. 'How did you know?'

But the despicable pirate captain didn't answer. Sabo looked around, he had already registered the fact that he was surrounded and out-numbered. If only Luffy and Ace was here, they'd already beat the crap out of these men. One of the men charged forward.

'Hey, don't hurt him now.' Bluejam ordered the grin still on his lips. Jumping back, Sabo dodged the underling and kicked him across the field.

'Hey!' The blond boy shouted a scowl on his face. 'Do you wanna fight, bastard!?'

Before Bluejam could answer, he was hit across the head by a broken wooden barrel. The object broke apart to reveal Luffy hidden inside. Luffy screamed defiantly as she landed on the ground with a light thud.

'Luffy!' The blond brother called out excitedly. Luffy turned around and waved at him with a bright smile. Sabo looked around for a moment before turning to his sister again, 'Where's Ace?'

Luffy picked her nose with her pinkie before pointing toward the tiny figure running down the trash mountain. He was screaming lines of cusses before pouncing up and landing right next to the young girl, his eyes glaring daggers at her. Ace screamed, 'Why did you go down on your own?!'

'You were too slow.' Luffy turned to her brother and stuck out her tongue. Sabo only laughed at them comically before saying they should focus on the fight.

'This'll be easy!' Ace grinned, cracking his knuckles.

'I'll beat all of them before both of you with my super amazing rubber powers!' Luffy shouted as she raised her fist.

'No way.' Sabo scoffed as he turned to aside, trying to hide his laugh. Then his head meet contact with Luffy's punch and the boy let out a painful moan.

'I heard that!'

The men attempted to charge at the children, again. But it only took the kids moments before all of the underlings were defeated, sprawling on the trash covered ground. Bluejam let out a disappointed grunt as the children charged towards him. Glaring at the three troublemakers, he pull out a pistol from his belt and aimed it at their feet. Ace grabbed Sabo and pulled him to aside, hiding behind a broken mast. Luffy, knowing that she could deflect bullets, stood her ground.

'Shoot if you want to, I'm not scared of that gun.' Luffy said as she lowered her head, allowing her hat to shadow her face. She shot a glare at the man, sending chills up his spine. But, not allowing himself to be scared of a child, Bluejam cocked the weapon.

'Luffy, you idiot, what are you doing!' Ace shouted, stepping forward. Only to be stopped by a strong arm and the raven haired boy was hoisted into the air.

The young girl turned around and gritted her teeth, she had forgotten that more men were there. 'Let them go!' She commanded, sending a wave of Conqueror Haki along the way. The men, counting Bluejam, collapsed on their knees, eyes rolling back as foam gathered on the edge of their mouths.

Ace and Sabo landed on their feet and turned to their sister in awe. Ace ran to Luffy, a surprised but proud smile on his face, 'How'd you do that?'

But before the girl could answer, the sound of a troop of men, marching, caught their attention. Damn it all! If she had remembered the royal guards and Sabo's father coming, she wouldn't have used the Conqueror Haki so soon. How could she slip up so easily? Luffy silently cursed herself as she turned to the elder noble.

'Looks like we came at just the right time.' The man said with a satisfied tone.

Sabo glared at the man and said, like saying a taboo word, under his breath, 'Father…'

Ace gasped but Luffy didn't react. The noble stepped forward and used the tip of his heels to kick Bluejam in the face, 'How could you be beaten by these dirty kids?' He grunted, then knocking his head back to look down on the man even more. 'At least you did your job well.'

A hand grabbed Sabo before he could react and pulled him towards his father. _He would actually hire a pirate to get me back?_ He thought in frustration as he struggled in the man grip.

Luffy felt helpless, she couldn't do a thing as her brother gets carried away. She can't use Conqueror Haki again; she was too weak for that with this body. If she moved right now, they would shoot Ace and that would be even worse. Luffy stood her ground as she silently curse the world for making her so useless. She could do nothing but see her brothers struggle.

'I see, so it must be those two that led Sabo down the path of evil?' Sabo's father questioned himself.

'Shut up. You don't know anything.' Luffy mumbled aloud as she glared at the older man. The man grunted in disgust and looked down at the girl, 'What do you mean _I don't know anything_? He is my son. It is the responsibility of every child to follow the path that their parents, the person who grant them life, lay out for them.'

'Tch.' Ace clicked his tongue.

'You have quite the nerve, lying to Sabo and convincing him to run away from home! A pair of measly kids like you!' He spat out in disgust. 'Are you plotting to steal my fortune?'

Luffy snorted, 'Don't need your dirty money.'

Ace squirmed in the background, shouting curses at the man. One of the guards slammed the handle of his rifle against Ace's gut; making him spat out blood then fall to the ground. The drop of warm red liquid splattered on the noble's face and he shouted at the guard, 'Be careful on how you handle those children! If another one of their germs hit me, you'll be banned from High Town!'

The guard stepped back and bowed apologetically. Sabo panicked, he kicked the man who carried him and landed on the ground, 'Don't hurt them! They didn't deceive me! I left on my own accord!'

'Stay quiet!' The father ordered. Sabo didn't get a chance to retort as two men tower over him and pulled him away.

'I trust that you children never step foot into my line of sight again or no you will get yourself killed.' The noble ordered the two children. Luffy stayed quiet and abode to the man's words, for now.

Ace scrambled to his knees and approached his shivering sister. 'Luffy! Do something! Why aren't you doing anything?!' Ace shook the girl but she stayed quiet. Luffy bit her under lip, trying to stop the tears from rolling down her cheek. _So useless, so helpless…_ the words echoed through her mind. Until the people of the High Town disappeared did she let out a hiccupping sob.

'I'm sorry! I didn't… couldn't do anything! I let them take Sabo because I didn't want him to say it! I didn't want him to give up his pride as a human, obeying the nobles because of us.' Luffy sobbed quietly, apologising continuously. Ace gave a shocked look at Luffy, finally knowing why she held back. He pulled her up as he locked her in an embrace. 'If I fought back, they would hurt you and would force Sabo to listen by blackmailing him, using us. I couldn't let that happen!' Luffy cried into his arms and they stayed like that for a very long while.

* * *

'That boy is better off without you! He's better off being a noble!' Bluejam said to the children as they tied up him and his underlings.

Luffy sighed and banged her pipe against his head, 'You've been blabbering on about it for quite a while now you know. "Oh, he was just using you" "Nobles hate people like us; they all think we're trash" "He's better off as a noble, living a happy life with fortune and safety" "I feel sorry for you two" Bla bla bla… It's so boring.' She mimicked his words dramatically before hitting him across the head once again.

'If I give you guys money, will you free me?' Bluejam asked. Luffy sighed again, making a disgusted face, 'I don't care about that, I just need to get my brother back. You can just sit here obediently and wait for the fire tomorrow.'

Bluejam grunted and tried to break his ties but failed once again. Ace approached the two and said to his little sister, 'I'm finished over here, are you done?' He was happy she was back to her normal self again.

'Yeah, let's go back.' The younger child replied and both headed for the jungle. Ace walked alongside his little brother (sister) then, thinking about Bluejam's words, he tapped her shoulder and asked, 'Do you think he's happy there?'

'Hmm? What did you say?' Luffy head shot to her side as she snapped out of her thoughts. She was wondering if she could safe Sabo before the fire starts but discarded the thought.

Ace scratched the back of his neck and turned to look at his toes, 'Do you think, maybe, Bluejam was right? Maybe Sabo would be happier if he was in High Town.'

The young girls face scrunched together as she gave Ace a look of disgust and disappointment. 'You heard him didn't you? The day he told us of his life as a noble? He hated it, loathed it. And he hated himself for it, for owning dirty blood. Like you, self-loathing just because you owned blood of the greatest pirate in the world.'

Ace looked up. He turned to his friend, wondering how such a young girl, who he once thought was thick and dumb, could speak with such understanding.

'I want to tell him that we are our own life, we have the choice to go against the person that ties us down. Having one's blood in you doesn't mean you are that person; you still have the choice to make your own name and your own story. To write a book about the greatest adventures, to become a name that is known across the world, to find the greatest treasure, to make the biggest, most loving family, it is your choice to make your own way of life. Don't let things like others' hatreds tie you down cause you can always find someone who will love you for who you are.' Luffy said, a kind, nostalgic smile on her lips. She spoke her words as she thought about her nakama, about her past. She looked at the darkening sky and remembered her adventures from the life before. Then, turning to her brother, Luffy grinned. 'And these words are for you too, you know.'

Ace looked at her, dumbfounded. A velvet flush found its' way under his freckled cheeks and he literally steamed. _Maybe Luffy's right…_ the images of his past came to him. The cold glares, the dirty words, the snarls and snickers. _A child of a demon is a demon! You should be dead! Your existence is a sin! Monster!_ The words echoed. Then he saw Luffy and Sabo, his closest friends and his brothers. Their smiles, their voices. He was sure that no matter where he was, seeing them will make him happy. Sabo came across his mind. The memory of how he had described his life as a noble in disgust and that grim look he had on his face. What was Ace thinking? Of course Sabo would like a life of freedom better. This entire place must feel like a jail to him!

'Do you want to rescue him?' The freckled boy turned to Luffy only to meet with the face of a very contradicted little girl.

'He'll surely try and come to us to warn us of the fire, right?' Luffy asked herself as she rested a hand on her chin, her head tilted to aside as she thought. She remembered a fire starting in Grey Terminal tomorrow but she didn't quite get a pin on what happen to Sabo at that moment. She remembered fighting with Bluejam and stuff but… What happened to Sabo? Like, he did appear later on in her life as her father's second in chief so he must've survived today, right? 'He's strong. I'm sure he'll come to us if he didn't like it there.'

'Oh, Sabo, you're back!' His mother said with a snobby laugh. It disgusted him. His face contorted at the blond woman, most slightly, but not noticeable. 'My, how you have grown!'

She wasn't happy, not truly, he knew that. Sabo stepped forward, quite hesitantly as he answered, 'Mother…' Now that he looked carefully did he realise how _ugly_ the people he lived with actually are.

He didn't feel comfortable without his top hat. He didn't feel like himself without it. It was the only reminder of his life in the Grey Terminal. Sabo straightened his navy blue shirt lightly as he felt revealed not wearing his precious but worn out tailcoat. He observed as the woman he knows as his mother looked down to the boy holding her hand.

The boy also had a snob, fake-looking smile on his thick lips, he had pale, almost see-through white skin and a mane of neat, bob cut ginger hair. The mother tugged the boys hand, 'Now, Stelly, greet your older brother.'

'It's a pleasure to meet you, big brother. My name is Stelly, I am eight year old.' The boy said to be his baby brother bowed, the despicable smile still imprinted on his face.

 _Who is that?_ Sabo wondered as he shot his 'mother' a glance of confusion. But then the truth was finally laid before him with her next words. 'He's your adopted brother!' A replacement, huh? So his parents went through the precaution and bought a replacement. Sabo chuckled to himself lightly. And here he thought they actually wanted him back. What a lie.

Sabo greeted the child back before entering his father's study. He required an explanation from the man and he was not surprised at how true his thoughts were. 'He's an adopted child. Naturally, he's a high-born child from a noble family. But due to unfortunate events, his parents abandoned him. We adopted him since he was a promising child. And as insurance, in case you don't become a suitable heir…' Sabo turned away and stepped out of the room. He didn't need more words from his father… no, his enslaver. Usually, he would stay there longer to brood about it, to glare at his father, to wait for the man to tell him to leave. But maybe it was because of his siblings did he know he should've just left.

Walking down the suffocatingly clean hallways of the mansion, Sabo entered his room. He looked out the pitch black window and sighed at the image of his siblings, standing there quiet and sorrowful as he left his home. He stayed silent, the scowl still on his face. Then a knocking on wood awoke him from his thoughts. Shelly was standing at the door.

'Hello, onii-sama.' The snobby ginger haired boy spoke, his voice sickeningly sweet. 'I heard you're an idiot? Mother and Father had always said that behind your back.' Sabo's eyebrow twitch, his pupils followed the boy as he sat down on the bed. 'Still, you've got the devil's luck. They'll be disposing off the trash tomorrow night.' The boy said with an evil grin on his lips.

This caught Sabo's attention. The only 'trash' in this place was the Grey Terminal, if they 'dispose the trash' are they planning to destroy the entire Terminal? With the people and all?

'If you stayed in the Grey Terminal…' The noble boy continued, 'You'd probably have died.' A giggle exploded from the boy's vocal cords. Sabo's face didn't show any emotion other than slight anger and confusion but inside, he felt a fire burnt.

'But, for my part, it would have been better if the real heir of the family had never returned.' The boy raised his hands in the air like it was the most obvious fact in the world. Sabo had the urge to punch the fucking noble to a bloody pulp but he kept it down. The blond child stayed in his grounds but his eyes were glaring at his fake brother.

'What did you mean by that?' Sabo turned to the boy, killing intent oozing out from his every movement, scaring the boy to near death. 'What is going on? Tell me everything!'

'They… They're going to s-set fire to the Grey Term-minal!' Shelly said, his face as white as paper and his legs shook violently. His mind told him to run but his legs wouldn't move.

'A fire?' Sabo interrogated, his voice still as calm as paper but deadly as a blade of a scythe.

'That's right, there no way you'd know about it since you ran away from home. It was decided several months ago, when news of an inspector from the World Government visiting this island spread. They're coming in three days and one of the World Nobles, the Tenryuubito, is aboard that ship. The royalties were determined not to show the Celestial Dragons any filth and decided to burn all of the trash in the Grey Terminal to the ground.' Shelly explained in a prideful tone.

Sabo cursed the filthy people around him and shouted in anger, 'How could they possibly do that?! People live there!'

'Didn't you hear what I said? They said all the filth!' Shelly broke contact from Sabo's death glare and climbed of the bed. He panted and ran out of the room. _Well, it was better if he left anyways, that disgusting scaredy cat should just rot to death._ Sabo picked up his pipe from under his bed, put on his top hat and tailcoat and soon preceded to escaping out through the window. He _must_ warn Luffy and Ace.

'It mustn't be true!' Sabo ran through the town, trying to find any trace of people who still had their heart intact, people who still cared for others. He just didn't know that he was searching for a light that no longer existed.

* * *

'Their gone.' Luffy stared at the spot where Bluejam and his crew were. _If it's like this, they must be preparing the explosives… Dammit!_ Ace shot her a questioning look. 'What's wrong if their gone?'

'We have to stop them before they finish preparing!' Luffy turned to her brother, a frantic gleam in her eyes. 'They're going to pant explosives in the Grey Terminal so that the nobles could burn all the trash away! We have to stop them!'

'Explosives? Burn the Grey Terminal!? Why didn't you tell me this earlier?' Ace exclaimed before knocking his fist onto the young girl's head. 'Come on! Let's warn the people!'

'You're not going to tell anyone.' A voice boomed from above, catching the two children's attention. They turned their heads in the man's direction, knowing too well who was speaking. It was Bluejam. 'The boy is right, the preparations are almost done, by sundown, we will burn the Grey Terminal!'

'You bastard! How could you work and listen to the nobles like that?! Aren't you an outlaw?' Luffy shouted, letting her voice echo through the trashy Terminal. Ace was no longer able to calm himself down and he charged forward, the pipe in his hands.

'Restrain them!' Bluejam ordered and raised his hand. An army of men charged at the two children. Ace kicked one aside, ducked another's punch and ran off towards Bluejam but before he could land a hit, an arm had wrapped around his waist and secured him. Luffy was in no better condition. Two underlings had hoisted her up in the air, leaving her to squirm uselessly.

'Soon, a fire so big that nobody could escape will be unleashed. But before we leave you here to burn to ashes, I want to ask you something. Your 'Pirate Fund', where is it?' Bluejam asked, his eyes filled with greediness.

'Shut up!' Luffy swung in the two's grip, with enough force, her feet was able to reach Bluejam and she kicked him forcefully in the chin, knocking him back. She let out a small wave of Haki and knocked out the men who were securing her and Ace. The moment the raven haired boy landed on his feet, he had knocked Bluejam out with a skull crushing hit.

They ran towards the inner part of the Grey Terminal but Luffy already knew it was too late. The sun was down and she could already spot out the little explosions approaching her and Ace. The horizon lit up with unnatural brightness. The fake sunlight was so ugly, do dirty that Luffy could no longer bear to look at it. Men from the Terminal, sick to healthy, outlaw to innocent, ran for their lives and the fire spread. She cursed herself, cursed the nobles, cursed Bluejam, how could she let this happen the second time around? She could see from afar, lines and lines of frustrated residents stare at the closing Great Gates.

'Ace… I'm gonna open the Great Gates from the inside… Are you with me?' Luffy turned to her brother with determined eyes. She said it and she was going to do it, there was no turning around. Ace was hesitant but he nodded his head with the same determination. Smiling at his reply, the young girl held out her hand. Understanding her intention, Ace grabbed onto it. 'We're going to cause a ruckus!'

Luffy grabbed onto the ledge of the gates and shot herself and her brother into the sky. She could see the ship of the Revolutionary Army docking by the coast and smiled to herself. 'Change of plans, Ace. We're going to distract the people in the town as much as possible in order for the Revolutionary Army to rescue the residents of Grey Terminal.'

They landed behind the gates and Luffy leaned into Ace's ear. She whispered a plan to him and they nodded at each other then ran off in different directions. Luffy went to open the Gates while Ace ran through Edge Town, shouting that the fire is spreading to the inner parts of Goa Kingdom. Luffy took her time to beat all the guards to the ground and unlocked the Gates, letting the diseased and outlaws in. Then, she followed after her brother, screaming the same thing as he did.

'What is happening?' a man in a dark moss green cloak whispered to himself. He was heading towards the Grey Terminal when he met a young noble who told him he hated his blood and now the Gates which were supposed to be closed are open. This was definitely not part of his plan. But, if this ruckus continues, maybe his plan would proceed more swiftly.

He wasn't paying attention when a small blur crashed into his leg. He bowed down and picked the child up. She was a young child, about the age of seven. Eyes gleam with knowledge of one much older than her age but in such a time of crisis, the girl still had a smile on her face. Her messy, short uneven black hair flowed in the wind and she stared at him in her tattered clothes and straw hat. She grinned at him goofily.

'Hey, dad.' She waved at him with her unwavering grin still on her face. _Dad?_ Well, he'd had to admit she looked familiar but he didn't believe such a coincident could happen. And if she was his Luffy how could she know he was her dad? Did Garp tell her?

'Hey… hello~?' She waved her hand in front of his face to wake him up from his trance. 'It's Luffy here. I'm gonna distract the people in town, kay? Go save the residents and shake the world!' She grinned her trademark grin and squirmed out of his grip. Then running off, she waved at him.

'I appreciate your help, daughter…' He felt quite ashamed calling her that. She would help him even though he left her behind, he couldn't believe he would be blessed with such a child.

'Dragon!' The familiar voice of his right hand man (woman) called to him. The Revolutionary leader shot his head around and faced Ivankov. The drag queen was in her woman form and she waved at him from under her cloak. 'We've docked; you should introduce yourself and lead the residents now.'

'Sure, Iva.' He walked off into the night, his cape fluttering in the burning breeze.

* * *

'Come on! We've caused enough trouble here! Let's go, Ace!' Luffy called, catching her brother's attention as he turned around and stopped beating up the guards. Ace didn't want to leave yet. He wasn't done letting out his anger on this weakling of a human. He grumbled, getting ready to retort but the girl had already grabbed his arm and pulled him off.

'Come on, Ace, we don't have time for you stubbornness! They're nearly catching up to us already!' Luffy shouted as she point at the army of royal guards following behind them. _Dammit! At this rate, we won't be able to reach the gate in time!_ She grabbed into a building with her stretching arm and used the force to shoot them towards the gates. With one of her arms wrapped around Ace, the other trying to reach for the lever that closes the doors, they flew through the air. _I can't reach it!_ She and Ace landed on the other side of the Gates with a thud. Luffy stretched out her arm and pulled the lever. But by the time the doors were closed, a dozen of men had already passed through the Gates and into the blazing Terminal.

'We're outnumbered!' Ace grunted, getting into fighting stance. 'We need to fight them off as fast as possible! This place is burning down!'

'Aargh!' The scream echoed. Ace turned to his brother to see Luffy locked in a guard's arm. Ace tried to run to her but his path was blocked by the other men, he slammed his pipe at them and knocked them to the ground. 'Let her go!'

'Stay out of this, brat!' Bluejam stepped in from the shadows; the wound Ace gave him earlier was still bleeding. He stumbled to the men, punching one across the face. 'You lied to us! Get your King here right now! He told us he would make us into nobles! You pieces of shit!' He shouted with the last of his strength.

He picked up his gun from his belt and started shooting the men randomly. A stray bullet travelled along its path and hit Luffy square in the stomach. The impact knocked the guard who held her back and threw Luffy to the ground in the process. Ace shouted, his ears buzzing and his mind clouded, _Luffy's dead_ was the only thought that came to his mind, his eyes widened in anger and, unconsciously, he released a wave of Haki. All the men around him collapsed, eyes rolling into their heads. The pirate captain also collapsed to the ground, his mouth foaming.

'Ugh…' Luffy mumbled. 'What was that?' She sat up on the ground and picked up the bullet stuck in her rubber stomach.

'Luffy! You're alive!' Ace exclaimed and ran to his sister. He wrapped her in a hug and cried onto her shoulder. Luffy looked at him questioningly, 'Of course I am, haven't I told you I can repel bullets?'

He punch Luffy on the top of her head and scolded her angrily, 'You never told us that! I thought you were dead!'

'Sorry…' Luffy looked at her toes and said apologetically.

Ace released her from his bear hug and pulled her to her feet. 'Come on, we have to get out of here.' Luffy smiled and the two ran off. Soon, they reached the edge of the forest and met with a frantic Dadan and Dogra. 'Ace! Luffy! You're okay! I'm so relieved!' Dadan said and Dogra nudged her with his elbow, an evil smirk on his face. 'I'm so _not_ relieved. Y-you should have j-just burn in that fire. Y-you troublesome kids!' She fixed, her face turning red.

'Where's Sabo?' Dogra asked. Then, the memory hit her like a wrecking ball. She remembered in the past life, after they fought Bluejam, Dogra ran back to the hut with the news of Sabo being shot by a Tenryuubito. How broken she was when heard the news. She was not going to let the same thing happen again in this life.

'I'm going!' The little girl ran off with hope that her brother hadn't sailed off yet, with hope that she could still save him. Ignoring her fatigue, ignoring the pains in her muscles, ignoring the untreated burns on her skin, ignoring the calls of Ace and Dadan, Luffy ran. She ran with all the energy she had left, racing with time, racing against the rising sun. _Sabo, please be there. Please, don't run away yet. I don't want you to forget about me and Ace!_ She panted and stopped in her tracks in front of the familiar cliff. The boat they made wasn't there… _Shit!_ The girl scurried off again, running alongside the coast, expecting to meet with a small dinghy and Sabo. They weren't anywhere to be found. She looked up, her legs were becoming sore, tears oozing from her eyes, her breath were short and frantic. Her blurry eyes followed the World Government's ship that was moving deeper into the dock. Running towards the crowd, she shot herself over the wall surrounding the place and landed onto of a building. On the sea, she could make out the tiny boat with the pirate flag that was engrave with the letter S on it. Then turning to the Tenryuubito, she could see the look of disgust and anger on the man's face. And she followed slowly, registering the fact that the disgusting noble was about to shoot at the boat with the child on it. BANG! The gunshot exploded. Luffy's eyes widened in terror as the bullet travelled in the air and exploded on contact with the ship. The boat was on fire.

'SABO!' She shouted with a hoarse voice, tears rolling down her cheeks. She leaned forward and looked closer, he was still alive! But she watched in terror as the man aimed his gun again and pulled the trigger.

'NO! SABO!' Luffy shouted again, feeling absolutely useless as the fire ball flew through the air. It was about to collide when a huge monster surface from under the water. It jumped up, its body arching in the air as it used its snout to snatch the boy of the boat. No one could register what happened until the Lord of the Coast hit the water again, leaving the boat to burn.

Luffy's limbs followed the monster unconsciously and she jumped along the buildings, following the monster to the other side of the island where it lay Sabo down on the beach. The young girl panted. Now did she realise how tired she was, she was low on oxygen and every muscle in her body ached. The most horrible thing of all was that she was hungry. She tumbled her way towards the sea king and caressed its snout. 'Thanks.'

The monster moved it head into her touch and said in a language only she could understand, 'I am only following orders, you are the Escort of Poseidon after all.'

'Heh, you've save me twice already.' Luffy leaned in closer and hugged the beast. It chuckled. 'You will keep our lord safe on her journey. I only want to do what's best for Poseidon. When you meet the Guider, come talk to me.'

'The guider?' Luffy inquired, her head tilted to a side.

'They say that in this world, there are three specific individuals who could talk to sea kings. Poseidon, the one who orders us and rule us, The Escort, the human destined the change the world, The Guider, the one to own the power of the sea. The Escort will open a safe path for Poseidon and The Guider will aid the Escort.' The sea king said in a nostalgic tone. The story of the three individuals has always been told to sea kings when they were born since they were bound to be the subjects of Poseidon.

'Gol D. Roger was an Escort, he just came at the wrong time since Poseidon hadn't been born yet. He did have a Guider though.' The monster finished its story, bowed to Luffy and receded into the ocean. Luffy thought for a moment before turning to her brother.

'Sabo!' She shook him and he spitted out gulps of water.

'Luffy… Was I just imagining it or were you talking to someone?' He pointed to the ocean as he looked up at his sister.

'Nope, you're just imagining it.' She shook her head and grinned at him goofily. 'Can you walk?'

Sabo thought for a moment, tried to pull himself and then collapsed on the ground again. 'No.' Luffy smiled before lying down next to her brother. 'Me too. And I'm hungry.' She yawned loudly, scooted closer to Sabo and snuggled into his arms. Getting the signal, Sabo turned around and wrapped his arms around the girl. 'I'm sleepy too.' She closed her eyes and dozed off. Sabo could hear her mumbled as she slept. He thinks it was something like: 'Stupid Sabo, don't ever leave like that again…'

Chuckling, Sabo soon gave into his tiredness too.

* * *

 **OMG! OC's coming in the next chapter. I'm kinda scared. What if you hate them? welp, sincerely hope you don't. Sorry for the little grammar mistakes and if the characters seem a little bit out of place... blame me. :(**

 **Look forward to the next chapter: Chapter 6: In Lavender**

 **Love you guys,**

 **Knox**


	6. Chapter 6: In Lavender

**New chapter! Everyone, rejoice! And it's super long! (and it freaking hurts my hands)**

 **So, like all the people who took time to read the A/N had known, AN OC IS COMING! I am so freaked out! (squeaky voice) I mean, what if you lovely readers of mine don't like the OC? The worries of a writer. (sigh)**

 **Let's forget this worry of mine and wish for the best. Oh, and just so you know, this chap is mainly little drabbles of their childhood. something to cheer the mood up after that entire thing with the nobles and stuff. Sabo's all fine and happy! Yay!**

 **Hope you enjoy the story!**

 **Disclaimer: One Piece, Oda Eiichiro, see the connection? No 'Knox' in it. Kapish?**

* * *

 **IN LAVENDER**

 **Luffy age 8 turning 9 xXx Ace age 12 xXx Sabo age 12**

Something about Luffy had been seriously… off. Sabo had only just realised that he had rarely seen his sister these days. Yep, for Luffy, who had always followed him and Ace around like a little, cute puppy, her lack of presence was definitely odd. That morning, Sabo was awoken by the creaking of the floor as someone left the tree house. He sat up just in time to see Luffy jump out from the window and land with a thud.

'And she took so much time convincing us to sleepover in the base.' He mumbled to himself, slightly irritated. Last night, he was hoping he could stay in his room to read some books he just stole and Luffy'd just had to do the puppy-dog eyes to trick him and Ace into sleeping with her in the Mess Hall (the biggest room they built used for sleepovers, games and things. Always messy).

Sabo jumped off the tree house, carefully following behind the girl as she ran towards the coast. Of course, before he left, the former noble left a note for Ace so he wouldn't freak out and thought they were kidnapped or something. Sabo didn't expect Ace to be that much of a worry wart when it comes to families but the world had proven him wrong. His eyes followed the girl and she jumped off the cliff and land on the beach. Sabo walked slowly to the ledge of the cliff and looked down, careful not to fall off. He was surprised so see Luffy just sitting there, watching the sea like she was waiting for something to appear at the horizon. For someone with a terrible case of ADHD like her, sitting in one place for hours wasn't an option.

'Hey, Lu, mind if I join you?' Sabo shouted, alarming the girl. She turned around, a cheeky grin on her face.

'You followed me.' She said, not quite surprised. She patted the sand next to her as if queuing him to sit down. Sabo, getting the sign, slid down the steep slope and landed next to her. He sat down, legs stretched out and hand supporting his body as he leaned back.

'What are you doing here every day?' The older brother asked curiously. He took off his top hat and placed it next to him. His wavy blonde hair had gotten long and Luffy can't deny that he had become more handsome by the years. The blond strands blew in the air, slightly covering his sea blue eyes. He used his hand to tuck them behind his ear and turned to his little sister.

Luffy looked at the blue sky, observing the clouds, the rising sun, the gliding seagulls. It was calming. She smiled nostalgically. 'I'm waiting for someone.'

'Don't tell me it's Garp, okay?' Sabo teased only to be punched by Luffy in the shoulder.

'What are you saying!? Of course not!'

'I'm kidding, I'm kidding.' He said as he caressed his arm. 'So who is it?'

'A friend. We promised we'll meet again when I become nine.' Luffy said, the smile grew bigger as she thought of the person. She remembered a girl, two years younger than her, long, wavy silver hair that glittered in the sunlight. Oh, and of course, the lavender coloured bowler hat that the woman loved. Luffy had remembered that in her past life, she was facing the worst time of her life when that girl appeared and rescued her.

'But you're not nine yet... And you're also short.' Sabo said, a mischievous grin making its way to his lips.

'What does that have to do anything with it!?' Luffy glared daggers at him while pouting slightly and the blonde boy just laughed. Luffy sighed then looked to the sea again. 'Just felt like she'll be coming soon.'

'So what's her name?'

'Dunno.' Luffy replied, making Sabo's jaw hang. _That idiot girl._ He face palmed and shook his head.

'Do you _at least_ know what she looks like?' The blond boy asked again and watched as the girl put a hand on her chin and thought for a second. Then, she turned to him and shook her head nonchalantly.

'Then how will you know it's her?' Sabo said as he flicked the girl's forehead. How can his sister possibly be so idiotic? But, he'd have to admit, she's just cute that way. Wait, what did he just think? _Oh god! Maybe Ace's terrible case of sister complex is getting to me…_ Sabo thought in horror. But now that he thought about it, Ace probably haven't even realise Luffy's a girl. _That thickhead…_ Thinking about his siblings only made Sabo more stressed than he already was, he should just stop.

'I think I'll just know when the time comes.' Luffy turned to him then smiled. The blond boy shook his head, there's no going against Luffy Logic anyways. He smiled and stood up, wiping away the grains of sand that stuck to his pants. He picked up the girl's straw hat that sat on her back and slammed it onto her short, uneven jet black hair. The rim of the hat covered half of her face, making Luffy unable to see. She reached up and tried to pry Sabo's hand off.

'I'm returning home.' Sabo announced as he picked up his top hat and walked off, releasing his grip on Luffy's head. The girl fixed her hat so that she could see properly, turned to her brother and stuck out her tongue. Sabo shook his head for the third time in the fifteen minutes, wondering why Luffy hadn't gotten any more lady-like over the course of two years he had met her.

* * *

Today is Luffy's birthday. And of course, like any other year, she is completely oblivious about it. The town's people in the Fushia village had planned to make a surprise party for the girl and without a doubt, Ace and Sabo was also part of the idea. They had promised that they will keep it a secret from Luffy and Sabo's job was to make sure Ace didn't make any slip ups.

Like any other day these weeks, Luffy was waiting by the coast. Staring at the sea and sky and waiting for that person to arrive. Sabo walked out of the bushy jungle, slid down the cliff and sat next to the girl.

'Are you waiting for her again?' Sabo asked and caught her attention. He was a person of stealth and every time he came to the coast to meet Luffy, she wouldn't notice him until he called or speak.

'Yeah, she was my sister by bond you know.' She soon got over his startling appearance and spoke with her signature toothy grin.

'That's new.' Sabo sat down next to her. It had become a way for him to relax, sitting next Luffy and watch the sea as time flies by. 'So, how did it happen?'

'What?'

'How did you meet her? How did you guys come to share such a bond?'

'That's a story for later. I'm bound to tell it to you guys anyways.' Luffy turned to Sabo and he kept quiet. And they stayed like that for quite a while. Sabo like the silence, it was very relaxing, unlike his usual vexing life. Sabo slid back and lay entirely on the sand. He stared at the sky and watched as the different varieties of clouds float by fluffy and white like gigantic cotton candy.

'Luffy!' Someone called, breaking the silence. Luffy turned up and looked at the town's fisher man with a questioning look. 'Someone's looking for you!'

'Really?' Luffy asked excitedly. She stretched her arms and grabbed onto the cliff. She shot herself up and landed next to the man. 'Take me there!'

'Wait for me!' Sabo called as he climbed up the rocks, following closely behind. He stood up on the grassy ground and began to wipe of the sand on his clothes. The fisher man led the two to the docks of Fushia village and showed them a small rowboat. He told them that a little boy about the same age as Luffy was asking for her.

'Then where is he?' Sabo questioned the man and looked around. What caught his attention was Ace, shouting at someone. Did he get himself caught into a fight, again? Sabo sighed and approached his brother and grabbed his shoulder. 'Ace, what are you doing?'

'Oh, Sabo! This brat keeps telling me that he knows Luffy and that he must meet Lu!' Ace shouted angrily, hoping that Sabo would be on his side in this. Ace pointed to the boy next to him who had wavy silvery white hair and peculiar violet eyes. Oddly to say but the boy was… pretty. Big eyes, button nose, thin lips, silky hair… he looked like a pretty girl. He was slightly taller than Luffy, had a lean body and was dress a lavender vest that wrapped around a white t-shirt underneath.

'Hello, if I am correct, you must be Sabo. Nice to meet you, my name is Merry. And would you please show me the way to Luffy?' The boy shook Sabo's hand and greeted him politely. He didn't smile, his face was just blank. It felt rather impossible to guess what the child was thinking.

Sabo turned around and looked at Luffy. He shot her a look that said 'Do you know him?' and she returned it with a confusing stare. Merry had caught sight of the girl and ran towards her. 'Luffy!'

Seeing the girl's confused look, Merry ran to the boat and took out his lavender bowler hat. He swept the dust off the rim and put it on. 'It's me, Merry.'

The memory came rushing into Luffy head… ' _My name is Merry, what's yours?' She asked with a straight face… 'Merry… join my pirate crew.' He asked, his legs swinging in the wind and she only stared at him in utter disbelief… 'From now on, we're brothers and sisters!' They announced happily and cheered, Merry felt tears rolling down her cheeks…_ The girl's eyes widened and she ran in to tackle the little boy to the ground. 'Merry!'

The silver haired boy also wrapped his arms around the girl and caressed her black locks. Then, after a while, the boy pulled back, 'Okay, let go. I have business to attend to.'

'What business?' Luffy asked as she took a step back.

'I have to meet Garp.' Merry announced as he took out a letter from the floor of the boat. He turned to Luffy with a smile only to see her face paled terribly. 'Is there a problem?'

Luffy swallowed the lump of fear in her throat then held Merry's hand, 'No… I'll take you to him.' And did she just agree to take herself to meet with a devil? Yes. After all her effort to hide from Garp today, her little sister (Merry) just had to say he wanted to meet grandpa. She wondered why he would come here though. It wasn't Ace's or Sabo's birthday yet.

'Uh, thanks.' Merry said, his tone slightly questioning. They walked away and Luffy turned around to signal the other two to not follow. Sabo only nodded and smiled. He just had a feeling that he would get along well with Merry.

Luffy skipped ahead of the silver-haired boy, turning to look at him instead of the road, 'You turned into a boy!'

'Yeah, and from the aura you emit, you're a girl. Oh, and that demon also made me two years older than I was supposed to be. Now I'm your age.' Merry said, his hand pointing to a stool in the market that Luffy was about to hit.

Luffy looked at the direction the finger pointed in but in the end, her back still hit the edge of the table and she crouched down immediately, hugging the spot. 'Ow…'

'Ooh, that's gonna leave a mark.' Merry crouched down next to her and flicked her forehead. 'Learn to pay attention already! And here I thought if you were a girl you would be more careful.' The boy shook his head as he stood up, pulling Luffy along with him. The continued together through the town, talking about the adventures they had together in their past lives. Then finally, the two stopped in front of the Party Bar and Luffy pushed the door open, getting ready to lead Merry in.

'Whoosh…' A shadow flew through the air and landed in the house opposite to the bar. The two children turned their heads to look at the beaten man who was just thrown out of the bar then looked inside. Garp was shouting at a bunch of hoodlums while Makino, the barmaid, waved at them happily.

'Hello!' Luffy waved back and said, catching Garp's attention. The marine vice-admiral looked up and laughed happily, his hand dropping his grip on the man he was scolding. Pouncing forward, he held his granddaughter into the air and boomed, 'Luffy! Happy Bi-'

A crash echoed through the air. It was the sound of glass shattering into a thousand pieces, leaving a pool of shards under the older man's feet. The only traces of what happened were Makino's weird posture, the glass pieces and Garp's bleeding head. The doting grandfather dropped his lovely Luffy to the ground and smiled at her, like he was not bleeding at all. 'So what do you want to talk about, Luffy?'

'Oh, my friend here, wanted to talk to you about something.' Luffy answered, not even bothering to ask about what happened. She pulled Merry forward and showed her to Garp.

'Nice to meet you, my name is Merry and I have an important message for you.' The little boy took out the letter from his pocket and handed it over. Garp tore it open and read it through. Then, he slammed a hand onto Merry's shoulder and laughed out loud. 'So you're the sole survivor of the Reign of Death that I had always heard about! They want me to train you? Sure!'

Merry only smiled his unreadable smile and shook Garp's hand. Luffy shot him a look that clearly said 'How did you do that?' and he could see clearly the paling of her skin. He nodded as if saying 'Don't worry; I won't die from Garp's training.'

'Now then, where's that Ace and Sabo?' Garp looked around, his voice sending chills down Luffy's spine. _Sabo, Ace, run!_ She prayed for their safety.

* * *

 ** _Ace's little discovery_**

'I don't like that that boy! Merry was it?' Ace whined, sulking by the tree stump. He was leaning on the log, his hands crossed on his chest and a scowl on his face. Sabo chuckled lightly. He sat on top of the stump, his hand holding a book about weather in Grand Line.

'He seems nice, if Luffy trusts him, I'm sure he's a good person.' Sabo said reassuringly. He had heard many stories about this 'Merry' and he seems nice enough. Luffy may not have remembered the person's face or name but she surely remembered the person characteristics. Though, he did wonder why Luffy would call him a girl at first. Probably because of Merry's girl-like look. It was quite ironic how Luffy looks like a boy while Merry looks like a girl.

'I don't like how I can't read him. What if he's planning something evil? For now, I'll just deem him an enemy.' Ace announced angrily. He looked very irritated.

'Sure…' Sabo chuckled, his eyes still focused on the book. 'Maybe you're just jealous.'

'Jealous? Of who?' Ace glared at his brother furiously. Sabo closed the book and stared down into the grey eyes. 'Of Merry.'

Ace took a step back, trying to duck from his brother's interrogating glare. 'What!? Why would I?'

'Because you like Luffy.' Sabo stated bluntly, an unnoticeable smirk on his lips. He knew for sure this would be fun. Ace's face reddened considerably and he managed to stutter, 'Why would I l-like Lu? I mean he's c-cute and all but he's a b-boy and…' _What am I saying? Stop it stupid Ace!_ He didn't stop. 'I mean, I don't even know what l-liking is like.'

'Need me to explain?' Sabo leaned closer, the evil smile on his face growing. 'If you like someone, when they do something intimate to you, you become nervous. A specific hormone makes your heart beat faster and blood rush to your face. And when they do something intimate or treat someone else better than they treat you, you feel anger against the other person.'

Ace thought for a moment. He did feel like that when Luffy does those things. Is he in love with his brother? Well their not actually blood related so it's fine right? But Luffy a boy! _This is so contradicting!_ Ace buried his face into his hands. Sabo's right and it made him feel horrible. 'Sabo, what should I do? I fell in love with a boy and worse, that boy is my brother!'

Sabo nearly fell off the stump. _How could Ace be so thick?_ Then, he bursted out laughing, making Ace even more confused than he already was. Sabo panted, wiping away an imaginary tear comically before stating, 'Ace, Luffy's a girl.'

Ace sat there, dumbstruck. Then his jaw dropped, 'WWHHAAATTT?' The shout could be heard from all over the island.

Well, from that day on, Sabo deemed Ace's situation the worst case of sister complex.

* * *

'HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUFFY!' The people cheered in unison. Luffy's mouth opened agape and she looked around, absolutely oblivious to what was happening. She didn't budge until Merry nudged her with his elbow.

'Thank them.' Merry whispered into her ear. They had just returned from the tree house where Merry packed his stuff and the moment they returned, this happened. Of course, Merry had already known today was Luffy's birthday, that's why he chose this day to arrive. Luffy turned to the boy in utter shock only to receive a nod.

'Is it really today? Maybe the calendar was wrong.' Luffy said aloud, a hand on her chin in thought and her head tilted to a side. Everyone nearly collapsed. Merry face palmed along with Sabo, while Makino giggled. _Typical Luffy_. Everyone thought with a sigh. Makino broke the silence, stepped forward and pulled the little girl away. 'Come on Luffy, I want you to wear something.'

Before the girl could fully adapt to the situation, the barmaid had already carried her into the house. And then, a loud crash could be heard from outside, after that there was a scream and a few more bangs and crashes then Makino came out, a smile of victory on her face.

'Come on Luffy, you look pretty.' Makino urged. The door behind the barmaid opened with a hesitant creak and Luffy came out. She was actually looking like a girl. She had light pink lip colouring, pale silver eye shadows that made her eyelid glitter, lightly traced eyeliner that brought out her big doe like eyes. Her messy hair was straightened and on the right side of her head, a red ribbon bow was tied. She was draped in a small velvet dress that complimented her magnificently.

Everyone in the room was silenced. Sabo snapped out of his trance first and sent a thumbs-up towards the barmaid, she winked back. Ace was red from head-to-toe; he was probably as frozen as a statue right now. Merry only grunted, in the last life when he was still a girl, he was the pretty one. Curse that demon, he turned Luffy pretty, now it would be troublesome to get rid of her fanboys since she is so oblivious.

'Makino! I don't want to wear this!' Luffy whined as her grip tightened on the dress. 'See, it's making Ace and everyone act weird…' She pouted and gave Makino the best puppy-dog eyes she could make. The barmaid shook her head; no matter how cute Luffy looked she was not going to let the girl take off her dress.

'Remember our promise. If you stay like this for the rest of the night, I'll give you all the food you want.' Makino crouched down and reminded Luffy. The girl pouted but stayed obedient, 'Promise?'

'Promise.' The woman with dark green hair smiled and nodded. Everybody cheered. Then the food and drink were pulled out and the party began. Makino sat down on one of the porches on the road and sighed in relief. Oh, how much she struggled to make Luffy wear that dress. Then she looked up to see Sabo joining next to her. He sighed, 'You won.'

Makino smiled and showed the palm of her hand, 'Sure did.' The younger boy rummaged his pocket, pulled out fifty beli and stuffed it into the woman's hand. 'Can't believe you actually made Luffy girly.'

'A woman has her ways.' Makino smiled deviously. The blond teenager only shook his head. 'You bribed her with meat. Anyone can do that.'

'Then why didn't you do it before?' Makino looked at him with malice. Sabo leaned back, avoiding her gaze. Yep, she's thinking he's stupid.

'Well, I think there is also someone else who could make Luffy a little more lady-like.' Sabo turned his gaze toward the silver haired boy sitting next to his sister. He observed as Luffy picked up her food and stuffed it into her mouth, her back crouched and her cheeks filled. Then watched as Merry scolded Luffy loudly, hitting her back and hand. He smiled amusingly at Luffy who grumbled but still straightened up and began eating with knives and forks.

Ace sat down with a thump next to the two, a scowl on his still-slightly-red face. Sabo grinned evilly while Makino looked at him with a charmed smirk. They spoke in unison, 'what's wrong, lover boy?'

'I'm not a lover boy!' He retorted loudly, his flush growing darker. 'Why does she only listen to him…' He mumbled, sulking along the way. Then turned to the two next to him who snickered silently.

The night went on, the sound of cheering, singing and partying echoed through Mt Corvo. By pass midnight the only people left who were conscious were the four underage children: Sabo, Ace, Luffy and Merry. They had walked off after dropping every one of the villagers into their houses. Since Merry didn't have a room yet and Ace didn't trust him enough to let him into the tree house, they decided that he would sleep in the hole under the tree's roots. After about thirty minutes, Sabo went down to check on Merry again only to see the tree's roots turned into a neatly organised private room.

He was pretty impressed. Merry had pretty much prepared everything he needed. There were stacks of books organised by names in the left corner of the place, opposite to it, on the right was a box of folded clothes, in the middle of the place was a blanket and pillow where Merry sat, reading a small leather notebook. He was sitting under the warm light of an oil lamp that hung from a stray root which poked out from the earth.

'I'm kind of surprised at how readied you are.' Sabo spoke, startling the boy. The mysterious boy with the unfazed eyes turned to Sabo with a smile.

'I try to be the best person I could possibly be for Luffy. He is my only family after all.'

'I've heard a lot about you from my sister, I was just curious at why she calls you a girl and you call a her boy.' Sabo walked in and settled down next to the boy. He already found a liking in him. Merry is a very interesting specimen after all.

'A habit that I wouldn't mind not changing.' Merry folded the book and placed it next to a silver rapier. This caught Sabo's attention. The weapon was sheathed and connected to a belt that seemed too big for the boy. Its handle was decorated with glittering ruby coloured gems that seemed to glow.

'A beautiful weapon, why didn't you use it against us?' The blond teenager inquired. He imagined that the boy would've been rather suspicious of him and Ace when they first met, taking account to his perceptive and cautious personality. There was also the fact that Ace tried to fight him off immediately after he arrived.

'People who Luffy trust, I can trust too. I've learned it over the years.' Merry smiled at Sabo and the blondie could feel a truth in it, unlike his usual unreadable smiles. They stayed quiet for a moment but it was neither awkward nor suffocating.

'So, what is that notebook?' Sabo pointed to the leather object, a curious glint in his eyes. Merry caressed it gently, picked it up and gave it to Sabo.

'A note of my journey from North Blue to here. You could call it a journal or a diary and I don't really mind if you see it. You seem like a trustable young man, decisive and intelligent.' The young boy answer and Sabo could clearly hear the trust in his voice. This person was definitely someone Sabo could entrust his sister to. The fact was clear now. Though, there were still many mysteries to the boy, like how he always has the aura of regret and loneliness around him that only disappears when Luffy's around.

'Thank you.' Sabo said and bowed politely, his grip secured on the notebook. 'You should go to sleep now, Garp is going to come and bother us the first thing tomorrow morning.' He stood up, sweeping the dirt away from his tailcoat and left the room. Merry only nodded, a kind smile on his lips as he lay down and turned off the lights.

* * *

 ** _Luffy & Merry age 10 xXx Ace & Sabo age 13_**

'Sabo!' Dadan shouted from above, catching the blond boy's attention. He stopped reading the book Merry let him borrow and glanced at her with his 'what now?' look, the uninterested gleam obviously showing from his eyes.

Sabo turned to his right where the silver haired boy, who had just appeared out of know where a year ago, stood, and tugged Merry's apron. The boys hand paused from stirring the beef broth and nodded at his brother. 'Can you take over for me?' Sabo shrugged, as if saying 'sure', and stood in place of Merry, stirring the pot.

'Do it properly or no I'll make you train twice as hard, clear?' Merry turned back, his hands still untying the apron and he said with a cold smile. Sabo nodded, sweat starting to break on his skin. After one treacherous year of training with Merry and the method he brought from the world's best royal army, Garp's training felt like heaven. Every day, they had to do continuous sit ups, push ups and laps. After that, they were coached on sparring and the six techniques. Then, after a nutritious lunch made by Merry, they begin their training on Haki, and gratefully, he also trained with them along the way, doing every exercise with the three. Merry said if they what to be actual strong pirates, they should start training the basics now. He said that back when he was a trainee of the Harny Royal Army (the world's best army that was rumoured to be able to beat the Whitebeard crew), he had to train through death then back. Of course, Sabo believed that, if that was not true then how could he be able to out run Garp?

Merry ran upstairs and after a few minutes, came down with two beaten up Ace and Luffy. Ace, once again, had his hair dye into a bright shade of green while he was sleeping. Even though she was beaten, Luffy still had a mischievous grin on her lips, she had successfully pranked her brother the fourth time this week. Sabo felt pity for his little brother, Merry - it took him one year to get Ace to swallow his pride and agree to call him family - and now, he had to deal with Ace and Luffy every day. Sabo had finally figured out how to read Merry through the days, though Merry usually keeps a straight face, sometimes, a little happiness or worry will appear on it. Seriously though, Merry is like a housewife. He cooks, clean, knit, sow, fish and even builds. Sometimes, Sabo just wonders if Merry is a very human-like robot that came from the future or not.

Merry took over the cooking after making the two troublemakers do fifty sit-ups. He laid out the broth and called everyone to the room. It was their annual visit with the bandits and Merry had taken the precaution to bring enough bowls for everyone. Sabo wasn't even surprised at his readiness anymore.

'Dig in, everyone.' Merry announced as he slammed down that giant cauldron of beef stew. The people stared at the steam food and drooled at its alluring smell. They all thanked for the food before slurping it down with all their might. Ace and Luffy was stuck doing their punishment, staring at them eating from the corner of the room with starving eyes. The blond teenager laughed at his two siblings while slurping down his soup, the book now back in his hands.

'That was delicious!' Dogra said while patting his stomach. The bandits had managed to eat every single drop of the broth, leaving nothing behind for the two brother and sister. Luffy stared into the empty cauldron with a disappointing pout on her lips, Ace stood behind her, looking over her shoulder with the same depressed look.

'Your punishment time is over.' Merry walked in from the kitchen after he finished washing all the dishes. He was wiping away the drops of water with a piece of cloth and a devious smile was on his lips.

'Merry… food…' Luffy crawled over to her brother and grabbed onto his waist. He dragged her across the floor and came over to pick up the empty pot of broth. Ace, taking the chance while the silver haired boy was close to him, grabbed onto his little brother the same way as Luffy did and dangled over him like a bunch of stuffed dolls.

'We're hungry…' they moaned with the last of their strength. Sabo watched as Merry kicked them to the ground and announced, 'The broth's all out!' He could see the sadistic glint in the boy's eyes as he slammed the door to the kitchen, leaving Ace and Luffy to whine about their stomach, their faces looking like the last piece of meat in the world was eaten.

'Sabo… food…' The two siblings turned to the blondie, looking at him like he was a prey. Sabo paled visilbly, feeling like he was a trapped beast being hunted. _So this was Merry's intention, blaming it all on me?_ He cursed himself for not realising this earlier and tried to evade, only for a hand to grab onto his wrist.

'Where are you going?' The two said in unison, a menacing aura emitting from their body. Sabo felt cold sweat falling down his back as he tried to free his hand from the grip. It was helpless. He watched as the other's eyes glowed with hunger. If this continues, the mostly likely possibility is that he'll get devoured.

'Merry! Help me! I get it, I get it! I didn't stir the soup well enough, right!?' Sabo called to the kitchen, turning to his last resolve of rescue.

The door creaked open and the said boy came out with two plates of curry rice. Luffy and Ace released Sabo from their grip and ran to the food, they inhaled it down like they hadn't eaten for days. Merry walked over to Sabo and said with a wicked grin, 'No, you stirred it well. But remember this Sabo-nii, people don't read when they eat, it's common courtesy.' A freezing chill ran down Sabo's spine and he looked away from his brother, his hand unconsciously scratching the back of his neck. Merry was an uptight person, especially about rules. This was basically the reason why he received the nick name 'Mother-hen'. But, fortunately, Merry is fine about outlaws; he even joined them a few times in their fights in the city.

* * *

'Okay! That's a wrap for today!' Merry announced after clapping his hands together. They had finished the afternoon practice with Haki and were all very tired. Sabo and Ace, who had thought the pain was over when they heard they had finished the basic of Observation Haki, is now going through hell trying to awaken their Armament Haki. Merry would spend his time coaching Luffy about her fighting techniques and devil fruits powers through sparring battles. The two would occasionally try to upgrade their Observation Haki so they could hear 'voices' – the feelings of all objects, alive or not – and Merry had nearly gotten a breakthrough.

'Luffy and I will go to bath first and you guys can do it after.' Merry announced as he walked off to their 'bath house'. It used to be a lake in the mountain but after the three boys fixed it up, it became their private bathroom. A wooden wall was built in the middle to separate the lake into two so that people could clean themselves in privacy and so that Luffy could bath with the boys too.

Merry took of his clothes and dipped himself into the crystal clear water, using it to wash away all the sweat and tiredness. Then, grabbing the towel hanging off the wall, he scrubbed himself thoroughly. His attention was suddenly caught when he heard his sister wade through the water. Luffy peered over the wall and said with a pout, 'I'm going to tell them, Merry.'

'Are you sure?' The boy dropped threw the towel at Luffy and she caught it with her tiny hand. She nodded determinedly. Merry could only smile at her unwavering eyes.

'They might not believe you, you know.' The boy said as he swam through the warm water, making his way to land. Luffy, getting the sign that he was going to change, let go off her grip on the wall and landed into the water with a splash. She began to scrub herself clean of dirt, thinking of how to tell her brothers the unbelievable story all the while.

Merry chuckled to himself as he pulled up his black shorts. _He'll need some time alone to think about this…_ He wrapped on his usually white t-shirt, rolled up its sleeve and tucked it under his pants. He then picked up his violet vest and wrapped it around the shirt. Last but not least, the boy put on his beloved lavender bowler hat and walked off. He met up with Ace and Sabo back at the tree house and told one of them to go to the bath. Ace volunteered but became rather taken aback when Merry told him Luffy was still in the bath so Sabo had to go. Ace and Merry sat with each other awkwardly, none brave enough to break the silence. Ace was still angry at how he has to accept Merry as a sibling even though he does respect him. He had come to trust Merry over the course of the year at the countless times the silver haired boy had rescued them from trouble in the Kingdom and also with Garp. But of course, a prideful man like him would not admit that until he was forced to do so. He was also happy that Merry accepted him for who he was. Luffy had accidentally spilled the secret of Ace being Gol D. Roger's son and Merry shouted at Luffy for being careless. He didn't treat Ace differently or with discrimination, at all. Ace wanted to thank Merry but, of course, his pride has once again stopped him from doing so.

'Thank you.' Merry's voiced to Ace, waking him from his train of thoughts. Ace stared at the boy like he had just spoken in some alien language. Merry turned to him and said, again, with an actual smile, 'Thank you.'

'Thank me? For what?' Ace pointed to himself. Something must be wrong here, was this a prank? If so it was not funny. Shouldn't this boy be thanking Sabo for accepting him of Luffy for giving him a family or something? He shouldn't be thanking Ace.

'For keeping Luffy safe when I was not there.' Merry looked up at the sky like he was reminiscing some far away memory.

Ace looked around, frustrated. Then he turned to the boy next to him with an ascertained glare, 'Then I'll have to thank you too!'

'And what for?' Merry asked with a smile, his violet eyes glimmering in the moonlight. Ace bit his under lip hesitantly, 'For taking care of Luffy when I and Sabo weren't there! And also- And also for accepting me for who I am…' His voice trailed off. _I said it! I thanked someone who was not Luffy or Sabo!_

Seeing Ace's uncertain face, Merry let out a laugh. Luffy was right when he said Ace was tsundere! Hearing Merry's chuckle, Ace's head shot up and he glared at him, his eyes clearly saying 'how dare you laugh at me when I am thanking you?' Merry turned away to avoid the glare but continued laughing while saying, 'Luffy really did know the perfect word to describe you, Ace.'

'Yeah, she said you were tsundere.' Sabo said as he stepped into the scene. His usual blue t-shirt was unbuttoned, revealing his toned muscles and his tattered white tie hung around his neck. Ace grunted at the word, he swore he was going to kill Luffy when she comes back. Where was Luffy anyways, she doesn't usually stay that long in the shower. A rustle echoed from behind and the three brothers shot their head towards the source of the sound. It was Luffy, her chin length raven locks still dripping down onto the towel draped on her shoulder. She wore a lose tank top and sleeping pants.

'I want to tell you guys something, I think it's about time.' She said with a smile on her face. A smile that was not her usual one, a smile that seemed sad. The air around them tensed as they felt something big was going to happen.

'Me and Merry, we've lived this life before.' Luffy said a tinge of guilt in her voice.

'What do you mean?' Sabo approached his sister slowly, like she was a wild animal. Luffy walked over to Merry and sat down next to him. The boy held her hand reassuringly and spoke instead. 'We were given a chance to relive our lives and we agreed.'

'So why did you want to redo everything?' Ace asked; his voice devoid of his usual anger and naughtiness. He was serious.

'In the last life, I was a boy.' Luffy said aloud, a nostalgic tinge in her voice. 'I wished to be the Pirate King went on my adventure after bidding goodbye to you two. Sabo was shot down by the Tenryuubito that day two years ago and I made Ace promise to never die.' Sabo and Ace wanted to tell her to stop since she sounded so sad but it seemed they couldn't do so as the girl continued. 'I met my crew who had sacrificed for me a supported me in the toughest times. Like when you died, Ace.'

'I died?' The freckled boy interrupted.

'Yeah, at a war, protecting me. You were happy though, you found your home, your family. I was so sad.' Luffy continued, trying to stop her voice from shivering as she cried. 'Then I thought about my nakama and I found a reason to live again. After a few more adventures, I met Sabo. I realised he wasn't dead and I was so happy! It was the prime time of my life. I had my nakama, my family and the One Piece was just in my reach. Then it happened. The second great war after your death, I lost all my nakama, they sacrificed so I could live on. But I lost all hope and gave up on my dream. I left the Grand Line and floated to North Blue, where I met Merry.' The girl wiped away the tears and smiled at Merry. 'She was my motivation. She told me that I must live on in honour of my dead friends and told me that their sacrifices should not be wasted. And she told me her story. I wanted her to come with me and I wanted to show the bright side of the world she did not see. Merry didn't agree at first but I got her into it and after a few things, we became brothers and sisters. You know, Merry was a girl back then, she was very pretty.'

'He is still quite a charmer, after all.' Sabo said, nodding knowingly.

'Shut up!' Merry kicked the teenager and told Luffy to continue. 'We turned into a small crew of four and went on our adventures. I nearly became a Yonko! But I refused the offer. And that was when I lost two more of my crewmates and decided that I will not recruit anyone else. Merry and I wreaked havoc in the New World and I became the King of Pirates like I've always wished to. But something was wrong and a day before my death a demon appeared before me. He told me he would let me relive my life if I give him my most precious memories which were the names and faces of my nakama.' She hiccuped as tears rolled her cheeks.

'Come on, Lu, stop crying.' Sabo leaned closer and locked her in an embrace as she silently cried. Ace followed his example and the four siblings stayed like that until the girl's cries were reduced to slight hiccups. And they only let go when her smile had returned. Sabo retreated then turned to Merry. 'You'll have to tell your story too, you know.'

Merry retreated back, 'I don't want to tell that again. Ask Luffy, I already told him everything.' The blond, older brother glared at Merry and soon, Ace stared at him with the similar expression. Merry drooped, 'Oh, fine! Don't go crazy, okay? I was one of the World Nobles called the De Crix family. They sold me off because I was unneeded.'

'The De Crix… Aren't they one of the most ruthless Nobles in the world?' Sabo inquired. He had read about them in his books before. It was said that they used their authorities to burn down islands that didn't know they're name and abuse their fortune to make their way into being one of the most powerful royalties with the most land in their control. They also have reputation for selling and buying slaves and the most recognisable thing about them is their unique silver hair.

'Yeah, they sold me off into the Harny Royal Army when I was a new born; they hadn't even given me a name at that time.' Merry face scrunched in disgust. 'The prisoners gave me my name because while they were always depressed, I would always smile. At the age of four, I was sent to Area 51, the place where I was taught how to fight, survive and be who I am now. It was the training ground for children who have special combat abilities like amazing strength or agility. We were separated into groups who specialize in a specific aspect. I was put in the agility category where we were trained to exert our speed to no end. It was horrifying, we ran and ran until our muscles could no longer catch up, ones who get dropped behind are thrown away and left to die. It was truly the survival of the strongest…' He reminisced to those day when all he could remember doing was run. If you do not run at the right speed or in the required distance, you'll get stripped of your food. But compared to the other prisoners, he still had the privilege. Unlike them, he had a talent for the art of Stealth, the ability to retract your aura, making you temporarily 'invisible'.

'I had the upper hand compared to the other trainees, though. I had a talent that makes me special compared to them. Other than the unbelievable speed I attained and my ability to accelerate in a split second, I had perfected the art of Stealth. There was only one other person who was in the same situation as I was and it was Violet. We became comrades and were always together. Each day, we'd face the same trials, evading from wild animals and machineries that forces us to run at the top of our lungs, getting tortured in order to excel our Haki abilities, we faced it all together. We planned to escape this hell-like place and go live our own lives together, too. But on the day of the evasion, Violet sacrificed herself for me, getting caught while allowing me to escape. Unfortunately, her efforts had gone to waste. After I left Area 51, I had no other place to go to other than wander around on the island. With no weapon to fend myself and no food to eat, I was no different than a dead person.'

Ace, Sabo and Luffy cringed at the story. Using such horrid and brutal methods to train young children into the perfect human war machines, how could they be so cruel? Are all armies like that? Sabo bit his lips; he wanted Merry to stop, hearing the transparent sorrow in his voice. One who could retell such a horrible past in a way, they must've been strong at will. He reached out his palm to comfort the young boy but felt like the action was unneeded since Luffy had already held the boy's hand. Merry bit down his tears and continued, his voice getting raspy. 'I ran into a cave for shelter where I had found a glowing silver box. Curious of what was inside, I opened it to reveal two shiny objects, a fruit of dazzling sea blue that sparkled like the most qualified jewelries, lines of curvy waves decorated it and necklace made of pure silver in a shape of a heart.' He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled the shimmering object out, showing it to the brothers. 'I was starving, I didn't know what the fruit was but it was obviously edible so I ate it. By body melted and I turned into water, the horrid salty aftertaste of the fruit was still in my mouth and then did I realise I had ate a devil's fruit.'

'A devil's fruit? Which one?' Sabo leaned forward, his eyes full of curiosity. He had always been interested in the mysterious fruits. Merry raised his palm and turned it into a see through, sparkling liquid. The blonde's eyes widened, 'The forbidden fruit…' He muttered.

'Yes, the fruit of the sea. A cursed power, such a fruit.' Merry turned his hand back into normal form. He looked up to the sky, like looking at someone in haven. 'After I ate the fruit, I tried to infiltrate Area 51 in order to rescue my friend, Violet. But the moment I returned, the only thing I saw was her dead corpse strewn on the floor of our dorm room. At the sight, my emotions went wild, the waters in my control boiled at my wrath, cooking and boiling the insides of the residents of Area 51 to death.' His eyes gleamed with unattainable sorrow as he remembered the silent answers of the people around him, the empty voice that echoed through the hallways that only he could hear. It was a disaster. Though the same events did not happen in this life, the cursed powers of this fruit still massacred Area 51.

Sabo thought for a moment. Didn't Garp say that Merry was the sole survivor of the Reign of Death – a mystical supernatural event that kills all the people of an island without leaving a trace of any injuries and only leaves one survivor? Then, Sabo's eyes widened in realisation, wouldn't Merry be the cause of the Reign of Death?

'Don't worry; I've learned to control the Reign of Death now.' Merry said reassuringly as if he had read Sabo's thoughts. 'In the last life, I mourned on my friend's death, kept her hat safe-' He pointed to the bowler hat '-and trapped myself in the fortress of Area 51 for a decade before I met Luffy, who took me away from my sorrow. This weapon-' he indicated to the rapier '-was made especially for my Stealth ability. I stole it from the manager's office before I left with Luffy. From the day that we left, I promised that I would accompany him through his journey to become the Pirate King, even if it is the second time around.'

Luffy smiled at the story, it was how he and his sister had met in their past life and he loved it. But, now that Merry is a boy and she is a girl, wouldn't Merry be her brother? No, it feels weird calling Merry that. She'll just stick with calling Merry a girl.

Ace felt a sudden sympathy towards Merry, though he was sure that he'll never admit it. How he felt connected to the boy, how he thinks he understands his guilt and the relieve he felt when Luffy saved him from the darkness. Ace turned to Sabo, curious of what his reaction to the story was. Sabo smiled, a kind, nostalgic smile. And from that smile, Ace knew that his brother was feeling the same way. From that day on, they had finally accepted each other as brothers.

* * *

 ** _Merry & Luffy age12 xXx Ace & Sabo age 15 _**

The night was dark and the cold breeze blew through the cramped hallways of the hut. The bandits were slumbering, spread across the wooden floor like a bunch of dead corpse - after all they were exhausted. Today was the annual visit day of the four 'monster' siblings and really, no one could say they looked forward to it. The children had raided the fridge clean of any trace of food and wreaked havoc across the house like some crazy circus show. The night was the only time the bandits could rest. Of course, none of them was aware of the quiet footsteps creaking on the floor when they thought of this statement.

Ace crept quietly, trying to be as unnoticed as possible, blending in with is surroundings and hiding his presence. He walked through the human filled hallway and entered the door at the end of the path with a tiny creak. On the floor, his two brothers, Merry and Sabo, were snoring away their tiredness. Ace jumped over Sabo skillfully before landing in front of his little brother with a light thud. Hoping that the boy hadn't realise he was there, Ace raised the glimmering dagger in the air and began it's descent onto Merry. A screech exploded from the room opposite to theirs, making Ace startle and change the trajectory of the descending knife. The blade slammed against the ground while the body of the silver haired boy twisted to a side, dodging it in a split second. Merry had grabbed onto his hat and ran to the other room where the scream came from and where Luffy was sleeping in. Sabo sat up from his sleep and rubbed his eyes. He looked at Ace then the knife dug into the ground where Merry should've been.

'Pfft, 739 attempts to assassinate Merry, 739 fails.' Sabo said aloud while chuckling. Ace had been attempting to 'land a hit' on Merry since Sabo said he couldn't possibly do it a year ago. It was true, Ace, no matter how he tried it, was never able to hit Merry. Sabo laughed at the thought of how his little words could affect Ace. His hand reached for the top hat and he slammed it onto his head. He turned to the source of the scream, ignoring Ace's fuming curses. 'Wasn't that Luffy's scream?'

Ace snapped out from his anger. 'That was, wasn't it?'

'What now?' Sabo and Ace stared at each other, like reading each other's minds; they already knew what they were talking about. _What trouble has their precious, dopey little sister gotten into again?_

Sabo kicked off his blanket and tumbled to the other room, Ace trotting behind. They entered the room to see Luffy sitting on her futon, an indescribable expression on her face. Merry sat next to her, comforting her lightly and asking her what happen all the while.

'I'm bleeding…' Luffy stated blankly. She looked as if she was going to die. It was true she had been rather weird today, not being as excited and not eating as much as she usually does.

Hearing the answer, Ace turned three shades paler and he rushed forward, pushing Merry and Sabo aside. He looked thoroughly through her body, checking for any injuries while asking, 'Did someone attack you? Are you hurt? Where are you bleeding?' He inquired frantically.

Luffy shook her head quietly as he held onto her shoulder. She took out her index finger and pointed to the space underneath her legs. Both Merry and Sabo paled their colours away as they stared at the puddle of velvet liquid. Ace only looked at the place she pointed to questioningly, asking _How could someone bleed there?_

Merry snapped out of his trance first and elbowed Sabo while ordering, 'Get Dadan!' The blonde nodded before scurrying off. It seems our little Luffy had gone off age.

 **OMAKE**

ACE'S Q AND A

Ace: You're saying... Luffy's a girl.

Sabo: *nodded* uh huh.

Ace: And you found out because you saw her in the bath?

Sabo: Yes.

Ace: are you sure you weren't blinded by the fog or something and mistook him as a girl?*leans in closer towards Sabo*

Sabo: *breathes in deeply with annoyance* Yes, I'm sure I didn't mistook it.

Ace: And you didn't tell me?

Sabo: You sere bound to know anyways. *shrugged*

Ace: ...And you say i like Luffy?

Sabo: Yes, I'm positive.

Ace: *rubs his temples* ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SURE SHE'S A GIRL?

Sabo: Of course.

Ace: ...

Sabo: ...

Ace: ...

Sabo: ...

Ace: ARE YOU SURE!?*shouted suddenly*

Sabo: Yes. *rolled his eyes*

Ace: ...

Sabo: ...

Ace: YOU BASTARD! YOU SAW HER NAKED IN THE BATH!

Sabo: *sighs* And I said this how long ago?*face palms*

* * *

 **THIS IS IMPORTANT!**

 **So how was it? Do you like Merry? TELL ME! TELL ME! TELL ME! thank you.**

 **like always, give a fav, a follow. a review would temporarily bring me to heaven. And ...(drum roll please) I will be taking request for bonus chapters, OC included or not.**

 **Sorry for the mistakes, LOVE YOU GUYS!**

 **Peace, Knox's out!**


	7. Chapter Bonus 1: Dawn of Romance

**What is this? A super early new release chapter? NOPE. It's the first bonus chapter of For Less! Yay.**

 **Who said that bonus chapters must be released in the same due date as the actual chapters? no one. So, as an example of what a bonus chapter would be like, i wrote this. It's something cute or funny that is only about 1000 to 2000 words.**

 **I'm sorry if some of you don't feel comfortable with the OC. (cry) And like a Guest has reviewed (i appreciate you true feelings, Guest, my friend) I will try my utmost best to not make Merry the main character of this story. I never planned for Merry to become the main character anyways. Lufffy will always be the main character because i love Luffy, despite him being a girl or a boy.**

 **PS: Merry is not Going Merry, just so you know, you probably already knew anyways. The story of going Merry is a story for Chapter 10 or Chapter 11. it's either one of them, ten or eleven. so look forward to it!**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I love One Piece, i cherish it but i don't own it, sadly.**

* * *

 **DAWN OF ROMANCE**

Ace climbed onto his little fishing raft, his leg was in mid-way when he felt an arm wrapped around his shoulders. He turned to the girl and like usual, she was wearing that cheeky grin on her face as she rested her chin on his broad shoulders. After all these years, Ace still couldn't help the heat flowing to his cheeks.

'Bye, Ace. Gonna miss you.' She said with an adorable pout. Ace didn't want to admit (like how much he didn't want to admit he was actually tsundere) but the girl had become pretty. Her black silky hair was trimmed short and neat – work of Merry, of course – secured from going wild by a bright yellow headband. Her big doe eyes glimmer like crystal and always had that pureness to it. She had become, no matter how much she denies it, a lady. Her body had become beautifully curved and her features were beginning to turn feminine.

'Oh, come on, Lu, aren't you gonna hug me too? You're making Ace blush because of special treatment.' Sabo, who was stationed in a similar boat which was facing another direction, teased. He was still dressed in his similar blue tailcoat and pants, the new white tie now in place of the old, tattered one.

Luffy tottered over to Sabo, the little pout still on her face. She did the same to him, a hug then the words of 'will be missing'. Merry came out from the woods, leapt off the cliff and landed on the golden sandy beach with a light thud. He came over; each had holding a small travelling bag. Throwing the orange one to Ace and stuffing the other one into Sabo's hands, he spoke in an imposing voice, 'You're my brothers and I trained you so you'll be big, alright? Or no, when I go out to sea with Luffy, I'll hunt you guys down.'

 _That was totally terrifying_. The look of Merry's face make him look like he was about to murder someone. Ace and Sabo swallowed the lump of fear in their throats and nodded in unison. The image of Merry hunting them down was even worse than a tag game with Garp. Being chased by Merry must be even worse than being chase by the worst pirate hunter. And this statement was proven real by the experience Sabo and Ace had training with Merry each day over the course of the years.

Seeing the terrified face of his two brothers, Merry knew that his message had gotten through to them. He stepped closer and fixed their clothes, gently like a mother fixing her son's clothes before he left for college. 'I prepared your toothpastes, spare clothing, canned food – just in case you guys get hungry – and a photobook for memories in those bags. Try not to lose them.' He smiled and took a step back, a proud look on his face. 'So, how're the new clothes I made for you?'

'They're great. They fit perfectly. As expected of Merry.' Sabo complimented, looking over his suit one last time. Ace snorted, receiving a glare from Merry. He was annoyed, no matter how much he tried to say he doesn't need to wear a shirt, Merry still had to force it on him. The raven haired boy was clothed with an unbuttoned black t-shirt, dark denim shorts and boots. Placed on his head was an orange that seemed to fit the boy perfectly.

'If you don't like, I won't mind taking the clothes back, all of them, including that beloved hat I gave to you on your sixteenth birthday. Then you can sail to the seas naked. That way, your name will be known throughout the world much faster.' Merry said with a smirk, his palm holding out teasingly. Ace grumbled like an annoyed child and turned his back.

Sabo chuckled. He reached out his hand and ruffled his little sister's hair, 'We'll be leaving now. I'll miss you guys too.' He said with a mellow smile, a sad glint in his eyes. Merry turned to him, an assuring look on his face. Sabo nodded to Ace before kicking off, heading south. The coal haired boy smile a kind smile that rarely ever decorated his face and followed Sabo's example, heading north. They turned around in unison. 'Towards romance, we head. And if we meet again, I'll be a member of the Revolutionary Army, fending against the cursed blood of this world. I will record my adventures and become a man famous for his words of poetry!' Sabo announced. The eloquent man bowed lowed after taking off his hat, allowing his curly, dirty blond hair to flow in the salty wind. 'Here, we temporary bid farewell.'

'And I, I will become a name that will be known in every one's mind. I will engrave my era on every book in this world and will prove to everyone that Portgas D. Ace has existed!' Ace shouted, looking up towards the blue sky.

Merry couldn't help but let a small smile of pride sneak onto his lips. Luffy grinned at her brothers as they turn into the tiny dots in the horizon, a silent tear of sadness and pride ran down her cheek. It was a great day for all of them but one day, somewhen after tomorrow, when their dreams are all accomplished, this day will be a beautiful memory that will be much more precious than any treasure or jewel.

* * *

 _ **Three years later**_

'Come on! The villagers are waiting for us!' The black haired girl dragged her brother downhill. She was slightly shorter than girls her age but it was no doubt she was uniquely pretty. She wore a bright unbuttoned bright red vest that lay atop of the sun yellow cropped tank top and a pair of blue, loose jeans that reached half her thighs, a pair of sandals worn on her feet. Her iconic straw hat safely strapped to the leather belt around her hips.

She was speeding on the muddy track when she lost her balance and slipped. She rolled down the slope, pulling the silver haired boy along with her. 'Oomph!' Luffy landed on the lap of her brother, Merry, and uttered with a cheeky grin. 'That was fun.'

'It was not. I'm not amused, Luffy.' Merry said, trying to sit up. He wiped away the blotches of mud that had managed to dirty his beloved lavender bowler hat. He grabbed Luffy and placed her to a side, then stood up and wiped away the stray murky brown dirt that was sticking to his white pants and light purple trench coat.

'Hey, let's do that again!' Luffy jumped to her feet and said excitedly. She didn't even bother to clean her clothes. Before allowing her brother to reply, she grabbed onto his gloved hands and decided to climb up the hill, again.

'Oi, Luffy. We can't do that again. We have to leave now, they even prepared to boat for us.' Merry said as he yanked his hand out of her grip. Luffy turned to the awaiting villagers and scratched the back of her neck with a shy grin. 'Come on, let's go!' Luffy grabbed his hand again and pulled him across the village. Merry watched as the multiple windmills whizzed through his view, he had already felt a sense nostalgia.

The villagers waved at them from afar, whistles, cheers, cries echoed through the warm air. They opened up a pathway as the two siblings whizzed past them and land on the boat, splashing gallons of water on the people as the fishing raft churned wildly. It was an important day for all of them; it was the day that Luffy left for her journey. Merry unsheathed his rapier, letting the black blade gleam in the light, then sliced down, cutting the rope that held the boat from floating away from the coast. 'Goodbye everyone!'

'When we meet again, I will become the Pirate Queen!' Luffy bounced up and down on the boat, waving to her friends and family.

Just so you know, with two people, the raft was extremely cramped. There was also the barrel of fruits that Makino had given to the two out of care and the supplies they prepared. Seeing Luffy jump around, making the small boat nearly flip, Merry just want to kick her off. If he had remembered correctly, in the last life, they had done this once before. Luffy was supposed to jump into the water to test out the sea resistant ability that Merry had given her but in the end; Merry was the one who was in the water.

Merry secured his hat with his hand, careful to not let it slip off. He used the other hand to hold the bouncy girl down, 'Stop jumping, you're going to flip the boat.' He ordered in a stern voice. Luffy stuck out her tongue as if saying 'oops' then sat down next to her brother. They rowed the boat across sea, breaking its calm surface and disappearing into the horizon.

'I'm surely going to miss those two.' Makino said her hands on her hips. She had been taking care of Luffy since the girl was two. She still remembered that day when Garp barged into her newly made bar, carrying a little ball of sunshine in his arms. It made her smile.

'Missing and all, the next time we see their face, it's going to be on a bounty poster. They're going to ruin this town's reputation!' Mayor Woop Slap spat out, he tottered forward to stand next to Makino. Despite all his grumbling, everyone in town knew how much he cared for the children. That day three years ago when Ace and Sabo left without saying a word, he threw a tantrum for not informing him.

Luffy sat her back against Merry. While the boy controlled the water towards the nearest ship so they could hitch a ride - since the boat was too weak to support them - , Luffy would continuously pick a fruit out from the barrel and finish it with one bite. 'Stop eating, if you continue, we'll run out of food before we reach the ship.'

'But I'm bored.' Luffy whined, chomping down on another pear. Merry shook his head but continued either way. Suddenly, feeling a presence underneath, Merry stopped the water stream, making the boat shake. The blue surface broke open, revealing a gigantic eel –like sea king in a shade of green.

Luffy looked up from her meal and waved at the Lord of the Coast, 'Hey, thanks again.'

The beast bowed its head low and spoke in its hardly understandable raspy tone, 'It is my honour to serve you, the Escort. And this must be your Guide; I've seen that water power before.' He indicated to Merry.

The silver-haired boy bowed in return. 'I thank you for guiding me here eight years ago. Your service had been a great help.'

'As I am here for one last bid of farewell before you leave for your journey, I must hope you best on your road to success.' The Sea King spoke its prayers and ducked back into the water, creating a wave to push the raft forward. Merry smiled and took his hat off as a greeting and Luffy waved with a grin. Today, is a great day, a day that will be remembered in history as the day the Pirate Queen begins her journey once again. But this time, she left in hope of losing less than what she had sacrificed before, for this time, she will be stronger.

Today is a new beginning, a new start. Today is the new ROMANCE DAWN!

* * *

 **Next chapter: Chapter 7: Sailing Winds of Change**

 **Look forward to it. Sorry for the mistakes, like always. Give a fav/follow/ review.**

 **And just so you know, you guys have been very supportive lately and i seriously would want you guys to be more expressive like 'Guest' (i'm sorry, i don't know your name) :( i wouldn't really mind if you say things like you don't like this and stuff. Just so you know, Merry is a main character - like Zoro, Sanji, Nami and ect. - but he is not _the_ Main Character - Luffy.**

 **See you next time,**

 **Knox :P**


	8. Chapter 7: Sailing Winds of Change

**UPDATE!**

 **Just so you know, from now on, each chapter will have an omake! And this chapter is the first (or second) adventure of Luffy in EAST BLUE: Meet Coby and Alvida! Hope you like the few changes and tweaks I added into the story. And still, what do you think of Merry? There will be one or two more OCs in the future so ready yourself. And this story might _not_ follow the plot of the actual story.**

 **I decided to change the name of the story to Oncoming Storm since i planned for the prequel to be named Before the Storm. Sorry for the sudden change. Should warn you earlier. Tee hee.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

 **Disclaimer: If One Piece was to become mine, I would die from happiness.**

* * *

 **SAILING WINDS OF CHANGE**

'Damn! I missed again!'

The cry echoed through the warm summer air. It was a very calm day indeed, as the medium sized cruise ship floated across the water's surface, breaking it into two thin streams of white waves. It was the kind of day that was perfect or sailing and listening to the seagull's cries mixed with the salty breezes.

'Batter out!' The sailor teased his comrade, for he had missed the barrel again. They had seen the barrel floated out of the whirlpool and decided to fish it up for a good drink; after all, it was quite decent in size.

'What the hell was that? You suck!' Another sailor who was supposed to man the crow's nest shouted, watching the other two amusedly. But then a strange sound echoed lightly through the air, only slightly audible, but it was still caught by his ears. He turned around, staring intently at the source of the echo, and there it was, the pink ship adorned with hearts and… a black flag. It was the jolly roger of the Alvida Pirates, who currently making a ruckus in the area.

He looked down below, seeing his two co-workers danced off with a barrel that they supposed was full of wine. He shouted, 'Ship sighted off the starboard bow! It has a pirate flag on the mast!'

The two other immediately dropped the barrel, pure fear imbedded on their faces. The other man continued, 'It's a pirate ship! We're under attack!'

The cannons exploded, releasing screens of black smoke into the air. With no way to defend or offend, the cruise ship veered to its side, only to be stopped by a cannon ball. The ship churned under the force of the artificial waves, making the passengers wobble with lack of balance. The two sailors banged into the ball room, shouting, 'Captain! It's a pirate raid!'

'What!?' The man with the captain hat and sunglasses exclaimed. He knew that in order to avoid the whirlpool, they did enter pirate's domain, but to be attacked so early, he didn't expect it at all. 'Everyone, please remain calm! Please remain calm!'

His words reached none of them as they scattered away from the ball room and on to deck. All of them to worried about their lives to be aware of the young orange haired lady standing at her spot, smirking deviously like she had just won a jackpot.

On the opposing ship, the people scrambled from above deck to under, filling and refilling the canons continuously as the captain screamed her commands, 'FIRE!'

The woman had a stout stature that obviously _didn't_ compliment her 'over-weighted' body. She wore a big rimmed white hat over her long black curly locks, had a rain of freckles over her face that made her beady eyes even smaller. She wore make up but it probably made her look even uglier, a blue captain coat and pink colours clothing hung over her body. In conclusion, Alvida was _not_ the prettiest woman on the seas, inside or out. She shouted with her crude voice, 'COBY!'

'Y-yes, madam…' The pink haired boy was prompted ahead by the other pirates. He answered hesitantly, his voice stuttering uncontrollably, a hand reached up unconsciously to scratch the back of his head.

The captain continued, 'Who is the prettiest woman on the seas?' Not her of course. But if one was in the same situation as the other boy, flattery would work better than an insult, correct? Gulping down his fear, the boy managed to get the words out of his throat, 'W-why, of c-course, it is out be-beloved Alvida-sama...'

The woman let out a loud, despicable laugh. It was a bad sound to the ear, expectedly. She slammed down her spike mace and grinned disgustingly, 'Well said.'

'Uhm, thank you very much.' Coby let out a nervous chuckle, his voice as light as feather.

A pirate underling spoke, 'Alvida-sama, it's been while since our last plunder.'

'Yeah. Now, bring us up alongside it!' She commanded. The ship with the swan masthead caught the wind, speeding up considerably. It shot another cannon ball into the air, the iron ball collapsed with the mast of the cruise ship, breaking it in two, causing even more panic to the passengers on deck. Of course, none of the pirates or the passengers was aware if the mysterious barrel rolling into the kitchen or the orange haired woman running across the panicked ship.

The pink coloured ship parked alongside the other, though it was only one fourth the size of its opponent, the pirate ship was much more armed. The underlings swung over, onto the cruiser, all working under the commands of the female captain. She shouted vigorously. 'Alright, boys! Show them the wrath of the female pirate captain, Iron Club Alvida!'

The pirates roared as they landed on deck, raiding every single penny from every corner. Later on, Coby was thrown onto the ship, face first onto the ground, then Alvida followed, jumping on deck and pretty much broke the floor with her weight.

While the pirates were threatening the riders, a young orange haired girl with long wavy orange hair and beautiful, bright hazel eyes was walking along the hallways sneakily. She waited until no one was in sight and took of the gown she was wearing, revealing a pair of denim jeans and a bikini top. She wore a dark grey belt that had a beli sign on it and at its side hung three metal sticks painted in blue. She climbed out of the lower floor and onto deck. Using one of the ropes their pirates left behind, she swung aboard the other ship with ease like she had done it so many times before. To her surprise, all the men left on the ship were all beaten and tied to the mast.

'Greetings, young miss.' A voice echoed from above. The girl looked up, noticing a young man about her age sitting on the railing of the crow's nest. He had a pretty face (oddly) with big ever-changing violet eyes that had a mysterious and devious glint in them, a high and slim nose and thin, pale lips. He smiled at her. One thing she found odd about them man, she couldn't read him, at all.

He landed next to her swiftly, took off his lavender bowler hat and bowed. His silvery white hair fluttering in the warm breeze. He stood up straight, wiped away the dust on his purple coat and smiled at her. 'Have you seen my sister anywhere? She has black hair, is rather short and has a very dynamic personality. She also has a straw hat with her at all times.'

Now then, that was weird. This 'gentleman' was searching for his sister on a pirate ship? Why would he think his sister is on a pirate ship? Was she kidnapped? Nami shook her head anyways. She pointed over to the opposing cruise ship and said, 'Maybe you can find her there.' Nami was going to suggest her guiding him over when…

A gigantic figure flew through the air between the two. Their eyes followed as the fat woman landed into the fishing boat resting on the water's surface and broke it into pieces, then turned to the human shaped hole on the hull of the cruise ship. _That was my ride to the next island…_ Nami thought as she stared at the ruins of the wooden raft. After a while of shocked silence, Nami diverted her attention from her broken fishing boat and turned to the other man, about to tell him to not go onto the cruise ship and warn him about the pirates. But before she could say anything, he waved her goodbye and disappeared, literally. The next moment, he was on the other ship, walking across its deck and into the floor underneath. Did he teleported? No way. She waved the thought away and told herself she still had some work to do.

'Now then, where is the treasury on this ship?' She rubbed her hand together as her eyes turn into beli signs.

* * *

 _ **A moment earlier**_

'Keep your shirts on! I'll smash this open right now!' The biggest pirate of the three said as he cracked his knuckles. Coby had just found them the perfect barrel of wine to drink from and he was going to keep it a secret from the captain; at least that kid was not useless. He raised his fist, then let it descend from above, aiming straight at the lid of the barrel. But before it could reach contact, the lid cracked apart and a young girl appeared from inside, her fists raised in the air, hitting the buff man square in the chin. She looked like one of those clowns who would pop up in surprise boxes. 'What a good nap!'

The conscious three were left with their buts on the ground, utter shock on their faces. The other one, the unfortunate one, who reached contact with the girl's fist, was on the ground, knocked out cold.

The girl looked around for a second before asking, 'What's this? Who're you guys?'

'WHO ARE YOU!?' The pirates shouted in her face, but she remained unfazed. She pulled her body out of the barrel and indicated to the man on the ground, 'He'll catch a cold if he stays there.'

'It was your fault!' the other pirates shouted comically but she girl continued walking across the room nonchalantly like it was her house she was at. She only stopped when a blade was raised in her path. 'You brat! You should know better than to mess with pirates!' The tattooed man threatened, his comrade who was behind him nodding in agreement. The girl didn't care. She took her hand and swiped the sword aside, then she walked straight to Coby and asked him where the food was.

'Listen to what people say!' The two pirates said with irritation, only to be ignored by the mysterious – can you call her that? – girl, again. They raised their blades and slammed it down onto the girl, shouting for her to die along the way. Coby paled, ducking cowardly, hands over his eyes in fright. He didn't want to see someone die in front of him. What he didn't expect was for the two pirates to scream in fear as the sound of metal breaking echoed through the air. Out of curiosity, Coby opened his eyes. The figure of the girl stood tall over him, she was still alive and breathing. In contrary to her healthy form, the two pirates were pale blue, looking at their broken blades with their wide eyes. Coby wouldn't be surprised if they were to take out the eyes from their sockets and rub them clean before putting it on again because the look on their face was full of doubt. Maybe they think this was only a dream.

'What'd you do that for?' The black haired girl asked, not even aware of the situation she was in. No, she was aware, she just didn't care. They were all weaklings anyways.

'W-Who are you!?' The tattooed pirate managed to ask, shock still imbued in his voice. The girl turned around, a confident grin on her face like she knew the fact was going to be true one day. 'I, I am Monkey D. Luffy, the woman who will be the Pirate Queen! Nice to meet you!'

But before she could continue, the two pirates ran off with their unconscious comrade dragged in their arms. Luffy stared at them questioningly, arms crossed over her chest. She pouted, leaned her head to a side and said disappointingly, 'What's their problem?' Coby stood behind her, eyes wide, 'What… What just happened?' He rubbed his eyes again before jumping to his feet. 'You have to run! They're going to come back with more people soon!'

The girl only shrugged before rummaging through the room again. Coby followed behind her like a tail, looking over her shoulder occasionally to see what she was doing. Not really understanding her actions, he asked, 'Luffy-san, what are you doing?'

'I'm hungry.' She answered like she was not on a ship being attacked by pirates at all. Her nose picked up the familiar scent of food and she made her way to the storage room, ignoring the boy with bubble-gum coloured hair that was clinging onto her arm. Luffy shook him off and began to run around the room, cheering as she ate anything she could find.

'We should be safe here… maybe…' Coby said worriedly as he closed the door. He turned to Luffy, the nervous look still in his eyes. 'I'm Coby. You said your name is Luffy, right?'

The young girl turned around, an apple still hanging in the middle on her teeth. She swallowed it down and nodded with a grin. Only then did Coby notice how pretty she was with her big doe eyes and her button nose. Her uneven jet-black her secured by a yellow headband, though it didn't help much with the unkemptness , and she had a childish scar under her left eye that complimented her naughty look. She was gorgeously curved. Luffy had an unbuttoned red vest wrapped around her body and underneath, you could see a yellow tank top. She wore a belt around her hips that carried a straw-hat and was dressed with a pair of denim shorts that reached half her thigh. Only when Luffy threw an apple at his head did Coby realised he was staring. He stuttered as his cheeks grow red, 'L-Luffy-san… are you really aiming to be the Pirate Queen?'

'Of course!' Luffy answered without hesitation. Coby's face paled and he shouted his chorus, 'Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!' Another apple hit him square in the face. Coby clutched his broken nose and asked, 'Why did you do that?'

'Just because.' Luffy said, chomping down on another apple.

'Then, do you have a crew?' Coby asked, it was highly possible though. Why would a captain float on the seas in a barrel if he already has a crew? Luffy thought for a moment then said proudly, 'I have a first mate!'

Coby's jaw nearly hit the ground, 'One?'

'Uh huh.' The girl nodded like it was a normal thing to claim to be the ruler of the seas with only one crewmate. But before Coby could breakout in his signature chorus again, Luffy announced, 'It's not about being impossible or not, it's about your will in succeeding your dream! I do it because I have the will to do it! If I die while I do it, I'll die! Don't tell me it's impossible because I'll never know if I don't try! Who said I can't own everything in the world? Who said I can't own One Piece?'

Coby looked at her with awe, he had never thought about it that way before. Luffy turned to him with a grin, 'Are you a pirate? Do you have a dream?' Even though she already knew the answer, she still wanted to ask it. She wanted to hear the story of how the Fleet Admiral Coby started his dream, again. Coby regained his senses and answered, 'I am not a pirate.' He said glumly. 'I accidentally climbed on the rowboat of the pirates and was forced to work as their slave for two years. Do you think I can be like that too? Be ready to die for my dream? Can I… become a Marine?'

'A Marine?' Luffy faked.

The pink haired boy nodded, raising his fist into the air, 'Yes! I've always dreamed of capturing murderous villains! Can I do it?' He asked one last time for assurance. Luffy sat down next to the door, put her hat on her head and nodded with a smile. This time around, she was certain Coby would become one of the greatest Marines of all time.

Coby nearly jumped out of the room with joy, he pumped his fist and announced, 'I'll do it! I'll leave this life as a slave and become a marine! And first of all, I'll catch Alvida-sama- No, I'll catch Alvida!'

But before he could continue any longer, the ceiling of the room cracked and crashed down, releasing a cloud of black dust and splinters into the air. A raspy voice spoke, giving shivers down Coby's spine as he scooted away. 'So, you're going to join him and catch _who_? Coby!?' The boy stood at the corner, shaking like a mouse hunted by a cat. Seeing Coby's helpless situation, Luffy planned to jump forward and aid him but she was stopped by the blades piercing through the wall behind her.

Alvida rested her mace onto her shoulder, looked up at Luffy and said with a grin, 'You're not the Pirate Hunter Zoro.' Zoro… That name… Luffy had heard it before. Somewhere, somewhen in her last life. He was someone close to her because when that name was mentioned, her head ached of sorrow and regret. He must've been one of her nakama but she couldn't make him out fully. She could only remember the glint of his blades. What was his personality? What he looked like? She couldn't get it out of her head.

Alvida continued, 'Coby!' The boy jolt at the call of his name, his life force nearly oozing out from his squeak. 'Who is the most beautiful woman on the seas?' The pirate captain asked. But before Coby could even stutter, Luffy interrupted, 'Not you of course. The last time I check…' Which was about 20 years ago if counting her last life, '…It was Hancock wasn't it?'

The sound of jaws banging against the ground was even louder than the cannons that were being shot. The entire area was drowned in silence of utter shock. Alvida's eye twitched, she roared as she raised her mace into the air and slammed it down. The moment the club reached contact with Luffy's head, it broke into pieces. Such a weak weapon, which was only used for looks, when in contact with Haki would definitely break. Luffy raised her fist and slammed it against the shocked woman's ribs, sending her flying through the hull and into the rows of emergency boats hanging at the side of the ship, then watched as she flew across the air and into the water on the other side of the pirate ship next to them. Luffy peeked through the Alvida-shaped hole and saw Merry on the deck of the other ship. She was about to wave at him when he disappeared from his spot.

'Luffy!' The voice called at the door of the storage room. Luffy turned around and cheered. 'Merry!' She just didn't notice the slight angry in her brother's voice. Merry came forward and pulled her cheeks with his Haki imbued gloved hands. 'How many times do I have to tell you to not wander off?! And here you are causing trouble, again! You just to climb into that barrel when I told you: I could handle a little whirlpool!'

'Shorry.' Luffy muffled through squished cheeks, she looked like a guilty child being scolded at by her parents. Coby stared at the two, looked at Merry then at Luffy. He scooted closer and asked, his hand pointing at them, 'Is that your first mate?'

'Mhn.' Luffy nodded in agreement, caressing her swollen cheeks. Coby thought for a moment, like evaluating the pros and cons of the next question, then asked, 'Are you guys a couple?'

'No…' The other two said in unison. Luffy looked as naïve as ever while Merry looked as if he was about to kill someone, the smile on his face made him look even more deadly. Merry explained, 'We're brothers and sisters, by bond.'

'Oh, okay…' Coby didn't dare ask on, seeing the look on Merry's face.

The silver haired teenager looked around for a moment before hopping onto deck through the hole Alvida had made. Then, following closely behind him was Luffy with Coby in her arms. Merry looked north and announced, 'The Marines are coming soon, we better hurry.'

'But I destroyed all the rowboats.' Luffy stated, slightly puffing out her chest.

'Don't be so proud about it.' Merry glared at her coldly, though he didn't expect anything less from Luffy anyways. He looked at the broken cruise ship then back at the pirate ship, after that, he turned to the frozen pirates in the background and asked, 'I'll be taking your ship, do you mind?' Of course, this question was only for politeness. The fact was obvious the moment you look at his face since it completely said: 'I'll take your ship and if you retort, I'll leave you here as a present for the Marines.' Who could say no?

Seeing that the pirates had come to an agreement, Merry climbed onto one of the ropes and walked over to the other ship with ease. He flicked his hand and Alvida was shot onto deck from the ocean, a puddle of splintered seawater surrounding her. Merry turned around to Luffy who had just enter the pirate ship and asked her, 'Where do you want to go next?'

'Huh?' Luffy looked up, she was already struggling to climb onto the swan mast head. She grinned as she stood on its neck and swung around on it like a hyperactive monkey. Then, she clambered her way to the head and sat on top of the wooden swan's forehead. She spun around to face Merry before announcing, 'I want to go to Zoro!'

'Why so?' Merry asked. He wouldn't ask Luffy to not approach the pirate hunter, of course, because, after all, nothing could stop Luffy once she had decided on something. Luffy turned around and stared at the ocean. Merry would remember that in their past life, whenever Luffy looked at the ocean, he would be thinking about his nakama. Merry chuckled, he didn't need an answer anymore, he already knew it. 'You think he's one of your nakama.'

Luffy didn't answer. The silver haired boy shook his head before turning to the crew who was trying to get all the sea water out of Alvida's lungs. They were picking out the one who should do the CPR for the woman through a game of jen-kan-pon (rock-paper-scissors) when she suddenly sat up and coughed the liquid out. The entire crew nearly had their heart jumped out of their chest. They screamed, 'C-Captain!'

'Captain! Do something! They took over our ship!' One of the men said, pointing towards Merry and Luffy but retreated the moment he saw the teenager's threatening face. That was when the door opened and Nami came out with a giant sack of treasure. The orange haired woman smiled awkwardly before turning around and going back into the room she came from. 'That nearly scared me to death!' She exclaimed to herself, trying to calm her own heartbeat. A few shouts and screams echoed from behind the door she was leaning on then stopped abruptly. Wondering what happened, Nami peeked outside. To her utmost surprised, the silver haired boy from earlier was standing next to a bunch of tied bandits, wiping his hands together as if he had just finished a labouring job.

'Oh, young miss, to think we would meet again in this situation. Can you help us navigate towards the closest marine base?' He asked, turning to her with a smile. Nami was taken aback. How did he know she was a navigator? Reading her like she was a book, he pointed towards the compass and maps strapped to her belt. He was unexpectedly observant.

'Both of us don't want to be caught be Marines and your boat was destroyed, indirectly, by my little sister so how about we work together temporarily?' He persuaded her, pointing towards the girl on the masthead as if to introduce her. He raised a hand towards Nami, indicating her to shake it. Though hesitant, Nami still shook it, after all, it was the best option. No matter how mysterious and dangerous the duo looked, it felt like the best choice to be their ally. Nami looked into his eyes and said, 'I am Nami, nice to work with you.'

'I am Merry, thank you for agreeing to my suggestion, Nami-san.' The silver haired teen tugged his sister's vest and called her away from her thoughts. She smiled at Nami and introduced, 'Monkey D. Luffy, nice to meet you!'

Well, Nami guessed that working with these people wouldn't be that bad, right?

* * *

 _ **A few hours later…**_

'Go straight ahead for a few more hours and you'll reach the base.' Nami said one last time to Merry, who nodded, and waved her goodbye. They had managed to 'ask' the shipwrights to fix her fishing boat and now, Nami was ready to leave. Though, she couldn't say that she hadn't gotten slightly attached to them. Luffy was always happy-go-lucky but she was very easy to talk to and Merry is nice and kind, just a little bit of a worry wart though. She took off the line and set her boat adrift.

'I hope to see you again, Nami-san.' Merry said a kind smile on his face. It was weird how many variations of smiles Merry owned but Nami found it interesting to watch. The orange haired girl didn't reply, she only smiled awkwardly. She didn't want to meet them again; she didn't want them to know she was a tool of Arlong, the man who destroyed her childhood. Nami paddled off and into the horizon.

Merry stared at the navigator who seemed like she was dissipating into the setting sun. He waited until she was completely out of sight then turned to Luffy, 'Are you sure she's one of them too?'

'Yeah.' Luffy nodded, climbing of the masthead.

'I guess we'll know the truth when we meet her again. If she really is one of your nakama then we're bound to cross path again.' Merry said, crossing his arms over his chest. The he and Luffy walked over to the door where the bounded pirates were kept. Merry turned to his sister and asked one last time, 'Are you sure about this?'

'Definitely! If in my last life, I let them die because we were out-numbered, then in this life we'll need more people!' Luffy nodded, it was not like her to think like this but she wanted to keep them safe, her nakama. Merry shook his head but continued into the conference room where the pirates were kept hostage. He crouched down in front of the captain and ripped off Alvida's mouth tape, announcing, 'I am the Peace Maker of the Straw Hat pirates, Merry. I wish to have a negotiation with the captain of the Alvida Pirates.'

'What do you want?' She spat out angrily. Merry smiled irritatingly and said in an unusually calm voice, 'No need to be so rude, madam. One can be pretty either outside or inside but ones who are categorised as neither are the ugliest.'

'Are you saying I'm ugly!?' Alvida asked in fury.

'I am, and I am going to give you another choice. You can stay the ugly person you are now or I can tell you the way to be truly pretty, both inside and outside.' Merry suggested, his words unbelievably convincing.

'How?' She leaned forward, suddenly interested in the matter.

'Do you want to stay a pirate?'

She looked at him with doubt, then asked, 'Are you telling me that stop being a pirate would make me prettier?

'No, there are different types of pirates, not all of them raid and steal. You can find treasure, going on adventures on the seas and you'll still be called a pirate. I want you to be that kind of pirate… with us.' Merry indicated to him and Luffy.

'You want me to work under you reckless bunch?' This deal had suddenly seemed impossible to accept, she doesn't want to be known as the 'Nice Alvida who works under Straw Hat Luffy.' It didn't sound tempting enough.

'I'll also tell you the way to make yourself look pretty outwardly.'

Alvida thought for a moment, she could be 'Pretty Alvida-sama, the goddess of the sea, who works under Straw Hat Luffy, the woman who will become the Pirate Queen' right? Though looking rather glum, she nodded, '…Fine.'

'We'll keep this alliance a secret, of course. We don't want the Marines to chase after us, right? I and my captain will give you guys training routines everyday so you can survive in the Grand Line and when we reach the Twin Capes, we will divert our paths. You will swear your loyalty to us and whenever we call you, you must reach us in a span of two days. Do we have a deal?' Merry reached over and cut Alvida's ropes. He stood up and showed out his palm. She clasped her hand against it and shook it as a sign to say they had come to a deal. He went to untie all of the other pirates then led them to the map on the conference table.

'Now then, we're heading to Shells Town…' The sentence was interrupted by a bunch of rowdy pirates shrieking in fear. Merry hissed while shooting them a glare; he proceeded to pointing at a small island next to Shells Town, 'I haven't finished yet! I want you guys to hide behind this stray, inhabited island and wait until we return with Zoro.'

'ZORO?!' The unison scream nearly destroyed Merry's eardrums. They began to panic again, 'Alvida-sama! Why did you follow this crew?! They're crazy!'

'We're going to get killed!' One of them grovelled on the ground, screaming in agony.

'Stop making such a fuss about it, we're just going to recruit him.' Merry said, sighing at their overreaction, looking as if it was totally normal for pirates to try and recruit a pirate hunter.

'He's a monster!' They all said in unison, and Coby was with them now. They continued, 'He'll turn you over! We're going to be killed!' The pirates (plus Coby) clammed up in the corner of the conference room where Merry had locked them, a dark cloud of 'depression' hovering over their heads.

'Stop brooding. Once Luffy's decided on something, no one can change his mind.' Merry heaved another sigh before picking all the navigation tools off the table and left the room nonchalantly. He didn't want to deal with a bunch of cowardly pirates (plus Marine-to-be)

'WE'RE DEAD!' The pirates sung their last hopeless cry as they hugged each other in their arms, sobbing in fear of losing their lives. It was going to be a rough day tomorrow.

* * *

 **OMAKE**

NAMI'S GOOD SIDE

Merry: We've finished fixing your boat. You can leave now, Nami-san.

Nami: Oh, thank you. *Picked up the bag of treasure and went to the door* Uhm… are you guys Pirate Thieves too? Or bounty hunters, perhaps?

Merry: *shook his head* no, we're travellers.

Nami: *hesitantly* Then… you'll need some money, right?

Merry: Oh, of course we do.

Nami: Then, I'll leave half of the treasures with you.

Merry: ...you don't have to, Nami-san.

Nami: It was part of your work capturing and securing the pirates so I'll give you half the money.

Merry: No, it's okay.

Nami: take it.

Merry: *backs away* you better keep it to yourself. I'm afraid that if I take it, you'll come and hunt me down later on.

Nami: why is that so? *eyes in beli shape, mouth drooling, a menacing air around her*

Merry: A mirror would explain more than I would… *Realises something then reach into his shirt pocket* And I'll give this to you as a thank you for guiding us *pulls out a gem*

Nami: I can't accept that.

Merry: ...Just take it.

Nami: I want to thank you! Don't give this to me! *mouth drooling even more, hands reaching out to the gem*

Merry: Your body says otherwise, Nami-san. *Smile awkwardly*

Nami: I can't take it…

Merry: Then I guess I'll give it to someone else… *Putting the gem back into his pocket*

Nami: *pounce forward then grab the gem* I appreciate your kindness… *grinning greedily while hugging the gem and bag of treasure, eyes in beli signs* *left the room with all the treasure*

Merry: *sigh* she's so easy to read.

Coby: *walked into the room* you are very persuasive, Merry-san.

Merry: I am the Peace Maker after all.

Coby: You lied to her and bribed her with money…

Merry: I told her fractions of the truth and thanked her with a present, was any of that wrong?

Coby: … I give.

Merry: I only wanted to be on her good side. *shrugged then left the room*

* * *

 **What do you think? The alliance? The appearance of Nami? Tell me! The omake too! Sorry for my little mistakes in grammar and my unreasonable amounts of demands for reviews. -_-**

 **If you like the story so far, give a fav and follow.**

 **Just so you know, the release time for a new chapter is 1 month from now on.** **So, look forward to the next chapter, there will be a surprise, _Chapter 8: Puzzle Pieces_**

 **Love, Knox**


	9. Chapter 8: Of Truths and Variations

**Hey everyone! Another update! How's the story so far? What do you suggest? Anything you want to change? I want a beta reader -_-... any of you up for the job? Has it been good? SO MANY QUESTIONS! You don't need to answer all of them or answer them at all even.**

 **Hope you like this chapter! Zoro's appearance! A lot of stuff is going to happen, a few unexpected appearances and my finger's breakdown for having to right 10,800 words. Now we begin!**

 **PS: Thank This Bites! by Xomniac and New Game Plus by DuncanIdaho2014 for inspiring me into writing longer & 'One-Arc-in-One-Chap' kind of chapters**

 **Disclaimer: If I will ever be able to own One Piece, i will definitely be able to die peacefully**

* * *

 **OF TRUTHS AND VARIATIONS**

'Listen to me!' Coby shouted as he pounced around like a rabid dog barking at a tree. Whatever exotic dance he was doing, it did not catch Merry's attention, not even remotely. 'Zoro's going to kill you guys, he's not _safe_!'

'Of course he's not. He's being held captive by the Marines.' Merry answered with a thoughtful tone, his leather book hiding the ever-so-slightly smirk on his lips.

Hearing the words, Coby grinned cheerfully and sighed in relief as he thought: _so some sense had actually gotten into Merry_! 'You get what I mean, right Merry-san? He's behind bars!'

'Yes, and that's why he's not safe. They can harm him in any way they want to.' Merry said, the grin growing wider. At first hearing the words, Coby was confused. It was until he heard the continuation of the sentence did he realise: Merry was…

'Don't worry Coby; he'll be safe when we rescue him.'

'… toying with me. Merry-san! Don't toy with me!' Coby shouted irritatingly as he bounced up and down again, rocking the cramped fishing boat from side to side. Merry chuckled lightly before raising a hand up as if signalling Coby to stop. 'Calm down, you'll wake Luffy.'

He pointed to the figure sitting cross-legged on top of the boat's head, snoring peacefully. It's been a long while but Coby couldn't help wondering why Luffy hasn't fallen off the boat while sitting in such a position. How could she stay like that despite all the ruckus happening on this boat?

Reading Coby like an open book, Merry answered serenely, 'Who knows what keeps Luffy balanced. And the ruckus created on this boat was because of you and your overreacting anyways.'

'I'm not overreacting! I'm being logical! Something that you lack right now!' Coby shouted out desperately only to receive another dismissive shrug from Merry. The pink haired boy slumped with depression as he had nearly lost all hope in winning over Merry in the discussion. Then, with disheartened expression, he turned to his bowler hat adorned friend and asked quietly, 'So keeping Luffy asleep is more important than me trying to get you out of this situation alive?'

'Well, not really.' Merry answered after a pause, causing Coby to perk up suddenly, the determination resurfacing in his eyes. 'Keeping away from having to fish and deal with craziness is more important.' A dispirited sigh escape Coby's mouthed as he collapsed onto the boat's wooden seat.

'I can't get you guys out of this, can't I?'

'Well, that is true. If you somehow, miraculously, managed to get me into opposing this plan, I still won't be able to get Luffy out of it anyways. So… you are just wasting your time on a lot of useless effort.' Merry stated bluntly, mentally hitting a hammer at Coby's face. The subject to the non-sugar-coated words was brought to all four limbs as he cried his eyes out from frustration. How could he possibly deal with such nonsense any further? God knows.

'Stop making such a fuss about it.' Merry reassured calmly, though the words did not comfort Coby in any manner. He continued, 'Luffy is just here to see if Zoro is a good guy or not. If he is a good guy, we'll take him in. If he's not, we'll just drop you at the Marine Base and leave peacefully. But I guarantee nothing when it comes to being 'peaceful' with Luffy around.'

'Hehe.' Coby chuckled silently as he pushed up his circular lenses. 'Spoken truthfully, Merry-san. Nothing could be pacified with Luffy-san around. Though, I still advise you not to go. It is quite obvious that the Pirate Hunter is a bad guy. Many people had even called him a demon in human form. It is a good thing he is under the surveillance of the Marines. It was said that he killed people without a batting of his eye.' His face darkened as his voice took a turn for grimness.

'But, I find most of the Marine's words highly doubtable.' Merry recoiled calmly – though there a hidden hint of fury in his tone – as he lay down the book he was holding. He turned to look at Coby in the eyes, suddenly making the air heavy and dark. 'You might think I am lying and it's most likely so for I am a pirate. But Marines aren't what you think they are. The World Government has been hiding many things from its so-called 'citizens' and it would break many like you if you know why. The world is never what you expect it to be, Coby.'

The words Merry had spoken did not have the carefree air it usually carried but this time, it was dark and cautious and freezing. For the first time seeing Merry drop his impenetrable emotional wall, Coby had known that this matter was something important. But what did he mean? 'I don't understand, Merry-san. Why are you telling me this?'

The rapier wielder gave him a sorrowful smile before turning away. He uttered after a long thoughtful pause, as if he was reminiscing of something that happen a long time ago somewhere far away. 'A fair warning for the near future.'

Merry dropped the distress expression before trailing off slowly. His shown emotions became artificial and unreadable again as he turned his back to face the island ascending at the horizon. 'Take your time to think about what I said Coby. We're about to arrive at the place where you'll know the truth of my words. Many unexpected events are going to bomb your life.'

The silent answer was enough proof for Merry to know that Coby was taking his words with caution. The boy will be a great individual one day. If warning him of the truth earlier in his life was not going to help in anyway, it was better than experiencing it first hand in unexpectance.

The boat stayed silent for the next half an hour as they float across the sea's sparkling surface. Merry had refused to pick up his book again as he had suddenly lost interest in it. It was no means interesting when compared to what that was about to happen in his life. He must plan ahead, prepare for the changes Luffy wanted to make to this life because Luffy's brain is nowhere near acceptable in the category of major planning. There was only 'do it when you think it' when Luffy is involved.

He turned to look at the bright blue skies as he revised the things he needed to stay cautious about through the journey in East Blue. If Luffy had told him correctly in the past life, there was a man named Kuro of a Thousand Plans in Syrup Village where had gotten his first ship, the Going Merry. _There was also a man named Don Krieg at the Baratie where he got his cook, 'Black Leg' Sanji. 'Cat Burglar' Nami lived in Cocoyashi with her sister Nojiko and was forced to work under Arlong Pirates… Which means there is a high chance of her betraying us after we recruit her? Yeah._ He noted the fact mentally before continuing _. Usopp was mentioned in the story of Going Merry so it means he must be from Syrup village. And Sogeking is obviously Usopp. That's probably it, huh. Some of the pirates we'll fight will probably be good allies in the future so let's whip up some way to convince them. I'll have to ask the twins for information about those pirates…_ Of course, he wasn't allowed to say any of these things to Luffy because of the 'No Spoiler' rule. Merry nodded firmly before standing up. But then shook his head lightly. He didn't really change compared to his last life. He had always been diverting his thoughts so that he doesn't need to worry about the negative feelings hidden in his heart. Always running away from himself, hiding from his true feelings.

It was at that moment that the boat drifted onto shore, churning roughly and knocking Luffy face first into the paved roads at the docks. Coby laughed quietly at the comical sight before standing up with a sigh then anchoring the raft. Though he was slightly more active than before, a visible air of uncertainty still surrounded him.

'Humph!' The little boy puffed as a palm suddenly slammed his back, forcing him to stand up straight. He whipped around frantically only to face the encouraging smile Merry was flashing him. He chuckled nervously, it seems like Merry had seen through his hidden frustration. Well, there was no means in hiding it anyways, Merry always has his way and Coby doesn't even know it that's bad or not.

Merry glared at the mumbling Luffy for a few seconds. Then he sighed as he shook his head slightly before crouching down and prompting his sister, 'Come on, Luffy. We need to go.'

'…guh… hmmm… Wait a minute Makino; I still want to eat mo-uhh…' She cut off mid-sentence as she snored loudly, her hands flailing like she was reaching for something, then the raven head girl suddenly sat up. 'MY MEAT!'

There was an awkward moment of silence as the raven haired girl looked around and realised where she was. Then, she grinned dopily, scratching the back of her head, making a few tic marks appear on Merry's forehead. Still, he couldn't bring himself to get angry at his forever 'air-headed' sister.

'Luffy…' Then, the other two sighed while shaking their heads simultaneously, though in quite different tone of voice. Merry stood up, an annoyed smirk appeared on his face only for it to disappear immediately the next second. The young teen stepped off the boat while stretching all the way, following closely behind him was Coby.

'Oh no. You're not going anywhere, Luffy.' Merry warned before grabbing her hand, looking straight into the eyes of the young girl which had the words 'EXPLORE! EXPLORE! EXPLORE!' shining from it. But then seeing the stern look on her brother's face, Luffy frowned like a child revoked of permission to eat sweets.

The three treaded through the market, stares off curiosity burning into their backs. This town was not unfamiliar with travellers, they get merchants every day. But these three had a different air to them and the jolly roger of the Alvida Pirates was on their sail was a big proof to it. Oh, but it's not like the citizens are worried about themselves, no no. They wouldn't worry over a three people band of pirates, what could a trio possibly do? The problem is that if they are pirates, they must've known about Morgan, right? Why would they come here? They would get killed. And didn't they hear of the arrival of Zoro and his partner?

'This town has something off about it.' Merry spoke up, breaking the silence between the three. Luffy's eyes brightened as she nodded enthusiastically.

'Yeah! Yeah! I agree!' She cheered. 'They totally lack meat in this market.'

Merry narrowed his eyes slightly, and then loosened up again, looking as if he was holding back the urge to hit the girl. 'That's not what I meant.'

'Maybe it's because of Zoro.' Coby said thoughtfully, freaking out the crowd.

Merry smirked, interested in the people's reaction while Luffy tried holding back her laughter, and failing. She grinned, 'It seems like Zoro is a taboo word here.' The crowd shrieked again.

'Captain Morgan is in charge of this base…' Merry paused in order for the crowd to scream and back away. 'Why don't we pay him a visit?' An evil smile made its way onto his lips but no one was able to catch it. He grabbed onto the other two's hand and they disappeared together.

* * *

'OH GOD!' Coby said, his eyes spinning in circles as he lay down his food from the last 24 hours. The sight was disgusting, honestly, as he stumbled on his feet and clenched on his stomach. 'I don't feel so well.'

'Obviously.' Merry said without a care as he inspected the fortress's outer walls. He was only using "Pace 2" and Coby's already hurling up everything, now it's clearly obvious how terrible Coby's resistance is. 'I mean, the first time I used Pace 2 on Luffy, he didn't even flinch. Coby, you seriously need training.'

'Merry-san – Bleurgh… Could you not compare me to Luffy-san? She's as thick skinned as an ox.' Coby muttered out weakly as he tried to keep his lunch down. 'What did you do to me anyways? We were just at the market a second ago and – Urgh – how come we're already here? Did you… teleport us?'

Luffy and Merry both gave him a flat look as if he had just lost something in the brain. 'Coby, don't be stupid, I can't teleport, obviously. It's something called _immediate acceleration_. The name explains everything already, can we continue now?'

'Immediate… acceleration?' Coby mumbled to himself. So that was why Merry-san suddenly appeared on the ship. He moves so fast that most eyes cannot catch. That is so… cool. And useful for combat. He had never seen Luffy fight with her Devil Fruit powers before but she must be powerful too. He must become as powerful as them one day. A Marine's rank is also based on their combat ability, after all. To be able to own a base like Morgan does, the officer must be strong. 'Now that I think about it, why did the people freak out when Merry-san said Captain Morgan's name?'

'Have you thought through my warnings, Coby?' Merry said, turning around to glance at Coby through the corner of his eye. Then, seeing the boy exhale in realisation did he turn back to inspecting the Base's gates as he whispered, 'Exactly.'

'Anyway, what are you looking for?' Coby asked curiously.

'The more important question right now is where my sister is.' Merry said flatly as he removed his touch from the outer walls.

'What-?'

'HEY GUYS! I FOUND ZORO!' Luffy shouted, her voice coming from the left of where the other two stood. She waved her hand in the air excitedly as she pointed towards the inner yards of the base. Merry smiled amusingly before appearing next to where Luffy sat on the wall, his hand holding a cup of tea.

'Oh, it really is him.' He muttered to himself before sipping down on the cup.

'What do you mean?! He can't be here! He-he must be in some underground or something…' Coby lost his voice as he saw the lone figure tied to the wooden cross at the middle of the field. 'Why is he here? He shouldn't be in public; Zoro should be in a cell, right?'

'The reason to why he is tied there, we will know later.' Merry answered cryptically, a well-hidden amusement mixed in his tone.

Then, the trio directed their gaze back towards the figure far in the distant, presented under the scorching hot sun. He was dress in a loose, dark green kimono that slightly revealed his toned chest - like it was showing something that was not there, or will be there. A bandana, coloured with a shade of coal-like fern green, tied above his forehead, covering his leafy looking hair. Though tied down, the Pirate Hunter still had an intimidating air surrounding him that made people want to turn their back and run. But that doesn't mean the aura had affected Merry or Luffy in any possibly way. Well, except for making Luffy especially jumpy and piquing Merry's peculiar interest.

'We should untie him!' Luffy announced sternly before moving to jump off the wall.

'No! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! You can't possibly ask a Pirate Hunter to join a pirate crew than expecting him to agree! If we untie him then he'll kill us straight away! We should _NOT_ untie him! Impossible!' Coby said with shaken finality, waving his hands in the air like he was doing some exotic dance as cold sweat broken on his skin.

'Sad as it is, I'll have to agree with Coby.' Merry said uncaringly, making Coby sigh in relief. Though, the next words said would hit into him like a nail. 'If we untie him now, we don't know what the Marines would do to him. He is unarmed after all.'

'WHAT?' Coby shouted with a mixture of shock and frustration. 'Merry! Stop toying with me! You keep doing that! Making me hopeful and then diminishing it the next second!'

'I don't know what you're talking about. After all, it is your fault for not listening until I finish the sentence.' Merry said, taking the cup to his lips to hide the undoubtedly growing smirk onto his face.

'But- but- but… Merry-san…' Coby stuttered discouragingly, then he turned to the place where Luffy used to stand before sighing pleadingly, clearly asking for help. 'Luffy-san… Wah! Where's Luffy-san?!' Then he shouted again, facing with a foreign face instead of his over-excited, Pirate-Queen-to-be friend. 'WHO ARE YOU!?'

Merry chuckled lightly before using his spare hand to push up Coby's dangling jaw, humanly-impossibly opened due to over-shocking. 'She's been there for quite a while now and Luffy's currently with Zoro and Rika.'

'Rika who?!' Coby said again, his jaw falling out of place (again) as he shouted.

'Rika her.' Merry pointed, indicating at the little girl who was hitting it off with Luffy. The two were playing a game of tag with each other, running across the field as if they were not trespassers at all. Coby looked at the scene with a visibly growing sweat-drop on the back of his head.

Then, the bubble-gum haired turned to the woman next to him. She was about the same age as Luffy, only a year or two older. She had a white sheathed sword, her family treasure, the Wado Ichimonji, stashed on the silvery grey belt around her hips. A loose man styled kimono wrapped around her body, over the black coloured breast band on her chest. She had uneven bangs that fitted her tomboy look perfectly and the neck length, dark blue mane of hair left that was tied up into a messy tail. She looked like one who came from the Samurai Country, Wano, but it was not quite the same. If the way they dressed were anything to go by, Coby'd say Zoro and the woman were very close.

The stranger skimmed Coby with a sharp eye before grabbing and shaking him hand politely, greeting, 'Nice to meet you, my name is Kuina.'

'Uhh… Nice to meet you too?' He said hesitantly before free his hand from the loosening grip of the woman. Man, she had such a firm hold for someone who looks as frail as her. But before he could say anything more, the door to the yard opened and walking in was a very unpleasant looking man. He had a long face, bob cut blond hair, a huge butt chin and tiny droopy eyes. The man looked as if he was the king the world, arrogant and ignorant. The type of person that Luffy despised.

'AH! Another weirdo-!' Luffy shouted out before she suddenly disappeared along with Rika. Coby pried out his eyes to look for the two but they were nowhere to be seen on the yard.

'I was sure there were more people on yard.' Helmeppo managed to mumble out, his eyes nearly falling out of its sockets. He was so sure he saw at least two more people on the field, where could they have possibly gone to.

'Sir, it must be a trick of the light.' One of his subordinates spoke up.

'Of-of course I know it's a-a trick of the light! Y-you don't have to tell me! Now step back!' Helmeppo barked in return, his face looking up arrogantly again as he approached Zoro, all but unaware of the three at the further corner of the yard.

'Shhh.' Merry hushed as he covered Luffy's mouth with his palm. Unlike Rika who had acknowledged the fact that it would be best if she stayed quiet and immobile, Luffy was squirming around like a fish out of water. Merry gritted his teeth as he whispered, 'Stop moving, don't make a sound. I'm using Stealth on all of us. If you move, it'll break our cover. To them, we're not any different than air, clear?'

'Oh~' Luffy sighed out in realisation and relief, but also in a very uncontrolled volume, causing Merry to ram his hand onto her lips again.

He threatened with a spine-chilling smirk, 'Keep that volume down or I'll crush your vocal cords, Luffy.'

The said girl scratched the back of her head sheepishly before nodding enthusiastically, an obvious grin making its way onto her lips. 'Roger.' She answered in a whispery voice, though it was still clearly audible.

Merry sighed as he shook his head. He just gave up, officially gave up. Whatever, he doesn't really care if they get caught or not, it won't be a problem breaking out anyways. After rolling his eyes for one last time, he turned towards the people in the centre of the courtyard again.

'Roronoa Zoro, it's seems like you're still as lively as ever.' Helmeppo spoke as he played with his shirt collar.

'Hello to you to, bastard.' Zoro answered, his eyes narrowing into a sharp glare.

'Hehehehe! You can keep that attitude up, Roronoa, but nothing will change. I admire your stubbornness but you'll die out eventually, hehehe.'

'I'll survive the entire month.'

'Well, do your best! You won't be able to keep that attitude up forever.' He said haughtily, twirling his ringed fingers in the air to signal the guard he is going to leave.

'Only ten more days, Helmeppo.'

'That is, if you live that long! Hehehehehe!' The young master walked away, laughing his head off arrogantly before turning around toward where Kuina and Coby were on the wall and shouting. 'You two don't want to violate my father's rules do you? You better not have anything to do with Roronoa Zoro or you'll be executed! Hehehehe!'

'Of course not.' Kuina lied through her teeth, not even flinching. 'We're just here to take a look at the notorious Pirate Hunter.' Though in her mind, she was in rage, she had learned to control her emotion over the long years of being a swordswoman. It is a fault for a warrior to show her emotions in a fight.

Coby waited until the man was out of sight be asking worriedly. 'Why are they doing such a thing?'

'What do you mean?' Kuina wondered quietly as she turned to the boy next to her.

'Why would the son a Marine publicly humiliate a criminal? Isn't he supposed to only be allowed outside when an execution is happening? Isn't he just abusing his powers?' Coby said as he gritted his teeth and clenched his hands. 'This isn't what Marines should be like!'

'Isn't that so?' Merry suddenly spoke from behind the wall, catching the others attention. 'Now you understand what I mean, right, Coby? It won't be easy to get rid of people like him in the Marines alone, so I want your help. One day, you will be big. And when that time comes, I want you to cleanse the Marines, make them what they stand for. Just and responsible. One day, I would want you to protect all that you can when no one can do it. I want you to be a good man, Coby. Don't just be a good Marine.' He looked up from his spot where he was leaning on the wall and smiled at the boy. A true, sincere smile full of trust and belief. Though the smile had a certain incomprehensible weight to it.

'Kuina, I hope that you could bring Rika, Coby and Luffy to a restaurant or inn of some kind and please help me keep them out of trouble. Thank you. And I apologise for making you, an acquaintance, do me favour.' He said before disappearing again, now allowing Kuina to reply to the request.

'Wh-What the-' The blue-black haired woman managed to stutter out.

Coby eyed her sympathetically before patting her shoulder lightly, 'I know, I know. They're both unreasonable, aren't they?' He said flatly.

* * *

Merry tread through the Marine's empty halls nonchalantly as if it was his own home. After all, there was no one there. Most of the people had gone out to help Morgan carry his statue into the base through the inhabitant space at the west of the island. Marine Bases weren't and never will be Merry's place to come to. It was always cramped and at every corner you turn to, there would be a wall. He despised walls. It reminded him of his prison, Area 51. And he's already gotten enough Marine Base visits for a lifetime. Ace had once asked him why he occasionally goes somewhere for about a day or then returns. The reason was because of Garp who would pull him onto one of his expeditions without his agreement. Of course, he didn't tell this to Ace or Sabo or even Luffy and just shrugged it off.

He suddenly stopped at a huge wooden office door and glanced over it. Nice interior design, high quality wood, the room that has the view to the entire town… This is the room. He opened the door and activated his Stealth as a caution before stepping in quietly.

'I AM… GREAT!' a low raspy voice boomed as if the fact was absolutely true.

'Yes!' The subordinate straightened up his back and saluted though he could name three thousand reasons to why that statement was wrong. 'That is correct, Captain Morgan!'

'But, there hasn't as much tribute to me lately.' Morgan said.

Merry scoffed under his breath as he walked away from the door and headed towards the portrait of Morgan at the furthest left of the room. He was correct after all; Morgan would stay in his office and wait instead of help his men with the statue. _What an annoying man. If he truly is great than what kind of person would Sengoku be? God?_ He chuckled to himself as he sat down at the corner, waiting for the right time to begin his plan.

'Well,' The marine officer spoke up again though his voice was slightly shaky, 'The people only have enough money after all.'

'That is not the problem!' Morgan boomed again, 'The problem is that the people do not enough respect for me! Isn't that right?'

'Taptaptaptaptaptap!' The frantic footsteps echoed from the halls, catching the individuals in the room to turn their head. Suddenly, Helmeppo trashed through the office's door, tears running down his cheeks.

'FATHER! There're some people I want to kill!' Helmeppo said with a high pitched voice. His hand clutched on his left cheek and the other holding an ice pack to a certain private spot on his body.

'Captain! Your statue is here!' Another marine officer barged in and announced.

Ignoring his son, Morgan went out of his desk and left the room, Helmeppo following behind his like an unwanted tail. Merry waited until they were no longer in sight then dropped his Stealth. 'Click! Clack!' The sound resonated throughout the room as the portrait next to him opened. A certain familiar girl with bright orange hair stepped out with a roll of parchment in her hand, bumping straight into Merry as she exited.

'Ow!' She hissed as she rubbed the spot on her forehead where she had collided with him. 'AH! You're-!' She managed to shout out before her hand shot up to cover her mouth. She glanced around for a second, checking if anyone other than Merry had noticed, before whispering, 'Merry! What are you doing here?'

'Didn't I tell you we'll be going to Shells Town?' Merry answered nonchalantly, offering his hand to help her up on her spot.

'You did, but you never told me you'll go into the Base! What are you doing her anyways?'

'Some investigation for Garp.'

'Garp? The Marine Hero? I thought you said you aren't in the Marines.' She wondered, her hand reaching out to grab his. But then recoiled, realising she had just stolen from Marines.

'I'm not a Marine, Nami. I don't lie. Well, not when I'm not needed to.' He said before grabbing her hand forcefully and pulling her up.

'Well, whatever it is you're doing and why you're doing it is none of my business.' She said as she wiped away the dust on her jeans, trying to act uninterested. She really didn't need to care about him or Luffy. All she should pay attention to nowadays is making enough money to get away from Arlong's grasps. And really, that fact is not worth mentioning to any other person. When doing a job involving con and tricks, never get emotionally attached to anyone.

'Then, goodbye, Nami. Hope to see you again.' Merry said before climbing into the gigantic safe behind the picture. He dug through the multiple piles of paper work, looking for that piece of receipt that would bring Morgan to his doom. Where is it?

'What are you looking for, Merry?' Not being able to hold down her curiosity, Nami blurted out.

'Something. Why haven't you left yet?' Merry said as he skimmed through another document pack.

'I was just curious.' Nami said before sitting down on the rim of the safe, staring at Merry who had picked up a pink little piece of paper and raised it into the air. _There it is!_ He thought as he put the receipt into one of his jackets pocket. _Now where is the other one?_ He rampaged through the piles of paper again.

'Creak~' The door to the office suddenly opened, startling Nami. She scrambled in and closed the safe's door instinctively.

'Nami…'

'Oh god, that startled me! Hmm, what did you say, Merry?' She said as she sighed in relief, her hand over her chest in attempt to slow down her hammering heart.

'You just locked us in…' Merry finished his sentence, a sweat-drop growing on the back of his head.

'…Oh shit.' She mumbled out. It didn't take long for her to figure out what he meant. She had been stealing for pretty much all her life and had faced multiple kinds of locks and safe. This one could only be opened from the outside and was sound proof, enabling the two from calling for help.

'Well, guess we're stuck here… Tea?' He said calmly before sitting down. 'Guess we can relax a bit while we wait for someone to open this thing. And, I've already found the documents needed.'

'Yeah, I guess.' Nami sighed before sitting down cross-legged next to him. She had never faced such a scenario when she would be stuck in a safe with someone she never expected to meet again but… Whatever. Not like she can't remain calm about something like this, it is much better than being chased around by a huge pirate crew anyways.

'Hmm~' Merry hummed quietly before turning his head to look at something distant. 'I wonder what Luffy is doing right now.'

 ** _~Somewhen Earlier at Rika's mother restaurant~_**

'Zoro and I were childhood friends and rivals. We both have the same wish and goal. We used to fight each other every day and became close to each other through time. At the age of seventeen, which was about a year ago, we decided to leave our hometown and travel around. Due to having low budgets while needing money for transportation, we both became bounty hunters. We were called the Wind Blade Duo: Pirate Hunter Zoro and White Wing Kuina. We've been in that profession for four months.' She paused to drink a sip of water.

'We reached Shells Town about three weeks ago to get the bounty of this pirate we caught and came to this bar after that. That was when Helmeppo rampaged through town with his new 'pet', a wild wolf he caught in a hunting trip. It pounced into the restaurant and started eating food for the customers. Then, it turned to attack Rika. I wanted to cut it down, of course, but Zoro acted first.' She said, gritting her teeth as if she hated the fact she hadn't act first.

'I was so scared!' Rika entered the conversation. Then she reached over and placed the food plates in front of the trio. 'If it wasn't for Zoro onii-chan I would've been bitten and my mama's store would've been destroyed.'

Kuina raised a hand to pat the little girl on the head before continuing, 'Of course Helmeppo tried to attack Zoro for opposing him and got beaten badly. Then they had to make that stupid _bet_.' She spat out like she had just eaten charcoal. Her eye twitched as she slammed a hand on the table, 'That stupid idiot just had to be chivalrous and stubborn and now he'll get himself killed!' She raised her hands up, cupped it into a circle and shook it in the air like she was imagining strangling Zoro. Before dropping the grip and sighing again, 'That's about it to the story.'

'Shoo he'sh mmh khoosh guy? (So he's a good guy?)' Luffy interrupted and said through stuffed cheeks. None of her words were understandable though.

'Luffy-san, please swallow before you speak, please. You must remember that Merry is not here to translate for you.' Coby informed.

'Zoro's a good guy!' Luffy cheered again after gulping down her food, her arms stretched in the air excitedly. It was good though, the fact that Zoro was a good guy. It was proof to Luffy that she was not a bad person in her last life because most of the memories she had of her past crew had been fuzzy. It made her unsure of if she was bad or good.

'Yeah,' Coby answered glumly, 'I guess you're right.'

CRASH! The sound of china shattering into a thousand pieces echoed through the air, resonating with Helmeppo's horrid laughter. Then, the despicable man spoke, 'I'm hungry! And I'm sure we'll all help our self to a free meal, am I correct?'

He lay his legs on the table rudely while grinning like he had everything in his grasps. Two of his father's men stood guard behind him, trying to hide their annoyed looks and turned away slightly. Helmeppo ordered aloud with an indecent cackle, 'Hey! Hurry and bring some alcohol!'

He prompted again after a while, 'Oi! What's taking so long? Hurry up!'

He raised his cup up so one of the men could pour the wine in, and then announced, 'Since I'm tired of waiting, I've decided to execute Zoro tomorrow. Look forward to it, everyone. Hehehehehe!'

Kuina gritted her teeth as she turned to look at Helmeppo with a loathly glare. And judging by the way Luffy had clenched her fist tightly, she probably want to do the same thing to Helmeppo as Kuina did. Kick is arrogant ass. And as if something had clicked in both of their mind, the two charged forward. It wasn't as if they intend to do it, it was just instinct, a feeling, a sensation, a need they felt.

Luffy charged forward and with the full swinging force of her body, slammed her shin straight into Helmeppo's left cheekbone. The man tumbled back, off his seat and onto the ground, grabbing his bleeding nose frantically, a disbelieving look on his face. But before he could stand up properly to rant about his father again, Kuina charged forward and rammed the handle of her Wado Ichimonji into a certain 'not-worth-mentioning' place with enough force to make him unable to recreate.

'Who are you?!' Helmeppo said with a high-pitched forced out voice, his hands clutching onto his breeding organ.

'I don't care if you're Morgan's son or whatever! But men like you…' Luffy said angrily behind gritted teeth.

'Who could do anything alone and always relies on others…' Kuina continued, her hand strapping her sword into her belt.

'…SHOULD HAVE NO RIGHTS IN THIS WORLD!' The two shouted imperially, emitting their anger, making Helmeppo quiver in fear. He scrambled up to his feet and waved for his men to follow and he ran towards the Marine Base shouting, 'I've have you for this, you two! I'll get you executed!'

'Like hell!' Kuina shouted after him before a victorious smile made its way to her lips.

'Pfft!' She had Luffy spurted out before laughing like two crazy people, rolling on the ground and clutching their stomachs as they laughed. 'Shishishishishi! That's ought to give him the memory of a life time.'

'Oh, the world should thank us thank he probably won't be able to reproduce anymore.' Kuina waved it off.

'Now then, I've decided. Kuina, will you join my pirate crew?' Luffy said with her hands rested on her hips pridefully and a bright but determined grin on her face.

* * *

It was later noon and the sun was frying the earth with its immense heat. Under the scorching waves of hotness, Zoro hung onto the cross with no shade or water to cool himself down and was sweating profoundly. He was quite hungry too, even with the rice ball Rika had given him, after all, a big man needs a big appetite – as he was referring to himself as a man with big ambitions. At timed like this, when he wanted nothing more than to free himself of these binds and go for a drink, he would reminiscent to the promises he had made with his sensei of the will and responsibility of men. He promised to not die until he achieved his goal to become the Greatest Swordsman and that would mean he would not die anytime soon. He sighed as he thought back to the days when everything was so simple, the days when those dreams hadn't come to him yet…

The sound of shuffling feet awakened him from his thought as he looked up and into the clear obsidian eyes of the young teenager. She still had the same messy black curls and the same determined but goofy grin on her face. _Ah, trouble come's again…_ He thought to himself internally.

'You again?' Zoro mumbled tiredly as he looked up to see eye to eye with Luffy. "You have to much free time.' He scoffed.

'I'm going to untie the ropes and you'll be joining my crew!' Luffy announced and demanded, her voice firm with finality. 'You're going to become my nakama!'

'What are you-! Well, I refuse! I'm not going to bring myself low enough to be a pirate. How unreasonable…' He retorted as he flipped his head away, avoiding eye contact with the other girl. He is, already determined to not be tricked again by a woman's beauty. The first time was because of Kuina. The day they left from the island, Kuina had somehow managed to convince him into giving her the Wado Ichimonji while Sensei offered them both the chance to own it.

'What's so bad about being a pirate?! Who says you'll have to pillage, murder and plunder everywhere you go?! Well, whatever. I'm going to take you anyways!' Luffy said as she stuck out her tongue and ran away.

'Wait! That's sounds wrong!' He shouted out as he tried to lean away from the ropes grasps, before realising what he had just said. Then, he shook his head and shouted again, 'I mean. That's the wrong way!'

'Oops!' Luffy said as she grinned sheepishly. With a dust cloud trailing behind her, she stopped in her tracks then turned 360 degrees around. Then, she stretched out her rubbery arms and shooting herself across the field, shouting: 'Zoro! I'll return your weapon and you'll be my nakama!'

'WHAT THE-! What the heck are you? AND YOU'ER NOT EVEN GOING TO CONSIDER MY OPINION IN THIS? YOU BASTARD!'

'She's not going to listen to you, Seaweed Head.' Kuina spoke up as she landed on the ground with a puff. Then soon, following behind her was Coby who had unfortunately fallen face first onto the earth.

He stood up slowly before wiping off the dirt on his clothes. 'Zoro-san, you have to escape!'

'What are you talking about?! I'm not going to belittle myself like that!' Zoro retorted immediately.

'Shut up, Tree Leaves, we're going to bust you out of here sooner or later. That Helmeppo bastard had never intended to keep his end of the deal and had planned to execute you tomorrow. That was why I and Luffy gave him a beating. Luffy's in there with Merry to fight against the Marines and get back your swords. Don't make her waste her efforts on nothing.' Kuina informed sternly as she stepped forward, unsheathing her katana. Then, with a swing of the blade, wind exploded through the air, causing dust to flutter off the ground. For a moment after she sheathed her sword, nothing happened, until the ropes suddenly slipped off like rag dolls and hit the earth.

'Is that so?' Zoro mumbled irately, as he flexed his muscles. 'Well then, let's give them hell!' He announced as he glared at the Marine Base ahead of him menacingly, letting a cold and frightful aura engulf the field.

'But wait…' Kuina suddenly spoke up, disrupting Zoro's psyched up spirit. 'You don't have your weapons.'

Zoro stared at her for a moment, eyes wide and mouth agape before shouting, 'DAMMIT! I FORGOT!' He said as he ran off.

'Where are you going?!' Kuina shouted irritatingly as she rested her hand on her hip.

'Getting my swords!'

'THAT'S NOT THE DIRECTION OF THE MARINE BASE YOU IDIOT! AND LUFFY'S ALREADY GONE TO GET IT!'

'I DON'T TRUST HER!'

'I DON'T TRUST YOUR GOD DAMN WITLESS SENSE OF FUCKING DIRECTION! NOW COME BACK HERE!' Kuina shouted loudly as she pointed to her feet. This is one of the times when you seriously do not want to mess with her. The times when she had to deal with her partner's ridiculous sense of direction

'Yes, ma'am.' Zoro said, his spirits now utterly diminished.

 ** _~Inside the Base~_**

'Waah~! Where is this?' Luffy mumbled to herself as she scratched the back of her head furiously. 'How did I even get out of here last time? I think I shot myself out of the window? HMMM!' She hummed loudly as she stroked her imaginary goatee, her head leaning to a side thoughtfully.

'Merry told me to go get her in the Axe guy's office but… where is that place?' A few minutes ago, Luffy had suddenly scene Merry's face appear in a cup of water in Helmeppo's room telling her to go to Morgan's office and break them out of the safe. But where exactly is Morgan's office? Seriously though, this place is like a maze, how did I even go through this place before? Luffy bit her under lip as she thought intently.

'BOOOM!'

'What was that?!' Luffy whipped her head around to the source of the explosion. Picking up her pace, Luffy ran through narrow and damp corridors then skid to a stop in front of a gigantic wooden set of doors. Luffy skimmed the ingress quickly with her mouth opened in awe, when finally she noticed the sign atop of the entrance saying "CAPTAIN MORGAN".

'I found it!' She cheered happily as she bounced around then jumped through the doorway excitedly. 'Merry! Merry! Merry! I found you!'

'What do you mean you found me?' Merry said as he turned around, a few visible tic marks on his forehead. Both him and his companion, Nami, were covered in rubble and underneath their feet lay a dented safe door. 'If I didn't break out on my own, would you have found me? Hmm? I was about to give you specific instructions on where to go when you suddenly ran off!'

'Really?' Luffy said as she tilted her head to a side innocently.

'We'll deal with you later. Right now? We have bigger problems to deal with… problems revolving around your soon-to-be first mate.' Merry said as he looked out outside the window, his eyes narrowing as if he was glaring at the Marines approaching the three lone figures standing on the field.

'What's happening?' Soon, Luffy and Nami followed Merry to the window.

'Their surrounded.' Merry spelled out the obvious. He reached over and grabbed the three katana's tied to Luffy's back then opened the window. 'After I do this, I want you to Rocket us out of the window. Aim towards Morgan, clear?' He whispered into Luffy ear before unsheathing the swords.

 ** _~Outside the Base~_**

'Where are they? And my swords?' Zoro grumbled under his breath as he leered at the army ahead of him. They were all armed with guns. It at was Zoro, he might be able to cut all the bullet's down but Kuina's one-sword-style focuses main on one opponent or one line of trajectory only. She wouldn't be able to slice down all the bullets and that wouldn't guarantee Coby's safety. Where was a miracle when he needed them?

'Thunk!' The sound of blade, digging into wood rang through the air, catching all of the people's attention.

Zoro grinned a bone-chilling grin as he picked up his katana. 'THUNK! THUNK!' The sound resonated through the air again as two more blades dug its way into the wooden cross. Zoro looked up and gave Merry an approving smirk and he returned it with a mocking salute.

Morgan stepped into the scene with his usual defiant look. He boomed loudly, 'Roronoa Zoro, not only have disrespected me in my town once but are you planning to do it again?! Drop your weapon befo-!' He was cut off before he could continue, being thrown of balance by a fury of explosions.

Even without Morgan's command, the soldiers pointed they're guns at the three and cocked the barrel. And in unison, they sent a few hundred bullets after the trio. Zoro grabbed all of his swords and proceeded into fighting stance. Then, with a twist of his upper half and a swing of his swords, he either diverted the trajectory or cut the bullets on half.

Then, as if the two were absolutely in sync, Kuina jumped up, using Zoro's crouching back as a footing and pounced forward. She quickly unsheathes her katana and swung as she did a somersault in the air then landed with a light thud behind the soldiers. She sheathed her Wado as she stood up, naming, 'Ittoryu, the Hummingbird's Silence!'

Just a second later, a breeze of wind formed into a shape of a breath-taking pair of wings glided through the air and all the soldiers slumped to the ground, all having the same cut wound on their body. The woman grinned, 'They don't call me 'White Wing' for nothing.'

And while his soldiers were dropping off like moths on the light, Morgan was… troubled. _Where did it come from?! No one was in front of me a second ago!_ Morgan stumbled back a few steps before gaining his balance again. _Most of the explosions didn't hit. Whoever the person is, and how fast they might doesn't matter if their inaccurate._ Morgan grinned as he swung his axe in the air, only for the blur in front of his face to dodge it skilfully with a backflip and land on the ground lightly, the soldiers instinctively moved aside to avoid the man.

'You might talk big, Morgan, but you are nothing compared to what lies ahead.' The figure spoke, dust cloud surrounding him majestically, covering his body making his blurred away. The smoke began to clear, revealing Merry in his elegant form, one hand securing his bowler hat and covering his face while the other gripped tightly on his black-bladed rapier. He let go of his hat and looked up with a smirk. 'But, you are nothing against me.' His eyes glowed evilly as dark air surround his body, dropping the temperature by a few degrees.

'Get him!' Morgan ordered loudly but before the men could do anything

His body swayed to a side as he readied his blade, making it glimmer, before disappearing into thin air. Morgan leered around, searching for him but before the Marine Captain could react, Merry had already appeared again before him. His body twisted in the air as he pointed the rapier forward towards Morgan and he announced in a quiet but stern voice, 'Flurry.'

The area exploded with shockwaves, every hit landing squarely on Morgan's chest, pushing him back by a few metres. Morgan clutched his torso as pain bursted through it but there were no cuts, no blood. Then he suddenly felt a recoil in his body as a flow of hot, velvet liquid came rushing into his mouth, forcing him to cough it out. _What is that weapon?_ Morgan queried as he tried to regain his fading consciousness.

He swung the axe desperately again, lunging forward but to his surprise Merry dodged to a side, revealing the stretching fist aiming straight for his face.

'Gomu Gomu no… PISTOL!' Luffy shouted as her fist collided with his face sending Morgan through the wall and straight into the roads of the town, receiving multiple shocked stares from the citizens passing by.

'S-stop!' Helmeppo announced, catching everyone's attention. 'D-don't move or I'll sh-shoot!' He announced, his hand holding a gun to Coby's skull.

'Please,' Merry spoke up in a dismissive manner as he turned around to look at the young master. 'Your father's gone, he's beaten, Helmeppo. You no longer have your privileges and powers. Your hopeless now. If you actually have the bravery to shoot, you would've shot by now and… do you even know how to use pistols?'

Helmeppo slightly lowered the gun but then raised it up again, shaking even more intensely, 'O-Of course, I-I do!'

'Well, good for you, Coby, you'll live after all. Nighty night, Hel. Mep. Po. Sama.' Merry said as he waved and turned away. A loud 'whud' could be heard then a thump, as Helmeppo fell into unconsciousness. Zoro stood behind him, holding onto a shivering Coby and an lifeless Helmeppo.

'Oh no. Merry's angry.' Luffy said worriedly as she hid behind Nami.

'Merry's angry?' Nami asked in return. He doesn't seem any different from usual and what is there to be angry for? And is Merry getting in a bad mood a bad thing?

'Yep, Merry's angry.' Luffy nodded again. 'When Merry's angry, her sadist side shows the most clearly, she'd probably pour her anger on the first person in her field of vision.'

'Welp…' Nami said as she turned around and head for the cheering town. 'Better leave before we become the target.'

A few minutes later, screams of agony could be heard through the town.

* * *

It has been an hour since Morgan's beat up form had fallen from the hills top and the news of his defeat and their freedom has spread through Shells Town. A little group of travellers had become the talk of the place and currently the four iconic figures were sitting in a self-created restaurant in the middle of the town. Of course, hearing that they were at the bar, the place soon was filed with as many people it could contain.

'AH! I'M STUFFED!' Luffy shouted as she leaned back on her chair, only for it to break under her weight.

'Digest first, Luffy. Digest.' Merry instructed silently, his eyes still focused in the book he was reading. _Why does he read so much anyways? He's been reading since his last life, doesn't he run out of books?_ Luffy shook her head dismissively before letting go of the thought. Then, she forced her body to digest and returned to her normal, lean looking shape. A pro you get when you eat a lot is that you can force yourself to digest… to eat even more!

'Isn't Zoro going to eat anything?' Luffy asked nonchalantly, pointing her index finger at the said man. With a groan, Zoro looked up, his face bruised and battered, icepacks held up to his cheeks, forehead and chin. He was, unfortunately, a victim of Merry's anger.

'Can't feel anything…' Zoro mumbled lifelessly. 'The pain had overlapped the hungry…'

Kuina reached over to pat his back as she nibbled more of her sandwich. She swallowed and spoke loudly, 'Well, you'll face more of this. You already agreed to join their crew and I also agreed it because it was part of my deal with Merry-'

'When did you even strike a deal with Merry?' Nami asked, her chin leaning on her palm and her eyebrow rose curiously.

'Well, he suddenly showed up at the tap in front of the bathroom and he told me if he and Luffy were to be able to get Zoro into their side, I'll follow too. I agreed.' Kuina said as she took another bite. 'It's not like the end of the world would happen if I agreed, right?'

'True, true.' Nami nodded.

'What kind of deal did you strike with Merry?' The blue-haired woman asked, her sharp eyes looking into Nami's soul.

'Is it that obvious?' Nami sighed with a demotivated expression. 'I would tell you but I don't want to do it. All you need to know is that, somehow, he got me into becoming you guys' navigator and treasurer. That's all.'

The two women sighed together, suddenly sympathising one another for being caught up in Merry's little game. Merry held his teacup to his lips as he hummed with a devious smirk. 'A deal a day make the game worth a play~.'

'SHUT IT!' Nami, Zoro and Kuina roared in unison. And expectedly, Merry didn't even flinch but instead, chuckled lightly as he sipped his Earl Grey.

'You guys sure are fun.' Ririka, Rika's mother, said with a kind smile. 'Well, so any of you want another share of food?'

'I do! I do!' Luffy cheered as she waved her hand in the air.

'I'll think I can start eating now.' Zoro said as he sat straight up on his chair, raising his hand in indication.

'I wouldn't mind if you could get me one of those chocolate mousse.' Merry named as he raised his cup, returning her kind smile with one of his own.

'Sure, coming right up.' Ririka said as she left the room and head into the kitchen. A few minutes later, all the food ordered were taken out and placed on the tables. Still, Merry had apologized for them helping themselves to some food even though Ririka had announced that she'll let them eat for free.

Luffy popped another piece of meat into her mouth and chewed it with content before leaning back on her chair happily. 'WOOHOO! Now I have three more crew mates!'

'I'm only temporary.' Nami cut in, her hand raised in the air. 'I'll only stay until I get my map back.'

'Well, for now, our biggest goal is still to get to the Grand Line. And to get there, we'll need a map. And I know exactly who to go to to get one. Buggy. He's named the 'Untouchable Buggy' due to his Devil's Fruit, the Bara Bara no mi. He can't be cut and could split himself apart to dodge hits. Two of his top men are Cabaji and Mohji. They're both useless so you'll beat them easily if any of us ever get into fights. The Buggy Pirates are currently residing at Organ Islands in a town called Orange Town. That's where we're heading. We'll make an alliance with them in order to have support in tight times, like Whitebeard for example-'

'Isn't it supposed to be White-Moustache though?' Luffy thought aloud, chomping on another portion of food.

'We've already discussed Whitebeard's moustache matter before right? It's only for namesake, not that it's true!' Merry scoffed before continuing. 'We're trying to not fight them in any possible manner, and I'll try to get him into our Alliance as soon as we arrive. Okay?'

They all nodded, including Luffy.

'So, after we get the map, Nami will replicate it for us and she'll leave. Any arguments?' Merry asked one more time for insurance, then loosened as soon as they all nodded again.

'Can't Nami stay though?' Luffy wondered.

'No,' Nami cut in immediately then backed away with a nervous laugh, 'I have… matters to deal with at my home town so I can't stay for too long out at sea! You know… our place is facing a – uhm – economic problem so I have to return soon with cash, a lot of cash!'

'You can tell us the truth when you feel like it Nami.' They all said with flat faces while she backed away and laughed sheepishly again. She wouldn't mind telling them, of course, they might actually help her but that's exactly what she doesn't want. These kind hearted, crazy, idiotic people will get themselves killed if they go against Arlong. Mermen had always had the upper hand when fighting with humans. She sighed inwardly as she waved the subject off.

'More importantly…' She said as she chuckled deviously, 'Let's meet the other crew so I can get my share of treasure!' Her eyes turned into beli signs as she twirled around happily.

'You're ulterior motives are showing.' Zoro, Kuina and Merry said in unison, all with the same flat tone.

'Well, she's already in the money-daydream zone. There's no more helping it anymore.' Merry sipped off his tea and said with a dismissive shrug. And the other two followed with the same expression while Luffy just stared at them obliviously.

'Where's Coby anyways?' Luffy asked with stuffed cheeks.

Clack! The restaurant door clicked opened, revealing a unit of Marine soldiers marching with their blue laced uniform and their high-held pride. The man in the middle, who was clearly leading the other, wearing a green coloured tie stepped forward firmly, then, he cleared his throat and announced, 'Excuse me but, is it true that you are all pirate?'

'I've already named it clearly in the letter I gave to you. That violet coloured letter. It namely said that I am a pirate working under the soon-to-be Pirate Queen, Monkey D. Luffy and also the adoptive grandson of the great Vice-Admiral Garp. I would like to suggest him to a few individuals who would be fit for his 'Apprentice' criteria while I am on my journey, as I promised him so. And of course my choice is based on experience and it's not biased, I can assure you. If anything I named in the letter goes wrong, I'll know and I'll come and talk to Sengoku-san about it.' He said with a warning grim grin. Then he continued, his expression returning to normal. 'If you're asking for us to leave because we're pirates? We're obliged to comply.'

He stood up and signalled the other four to follow then they all filed out of the room without another word. Despite all of the calls from the townsfolk, telling them not to leave so early and cursing the Marines for forcing their 'heroes' away. They tread through the town silently but pridefully and paused by the docks to look back one last time at the town afar. The citizen joyfully waving at them with bouquets of flower like it was a cheering festival. The sound of cries of support mixing into the calm spring air, mixing with the ear-pleasing sound of the rustling bushes. But somewhere further away, where no one pays attention to, a crowd of merged white and blue stood tall with their chest puffed out in esteemed salute. And of course, there must also be a tearful Coby.

All of the four faced themselves toward the crowd and flashed them a grateful grin as they climbed onto the little boat. Merry gave a mocked salute before untying the anchor and they set off into the open sea again, looking for a new adventure. And somewhen in the future, they know they'll face again with the young and ambitious Marine chore boy. It was a beautiful farewell scene but…

'IT'S CRAMPED.' The four all spoke in unison with the same disappointed tone as they tried to find a comfortable seat on the little dinghy.

* * *

 **OMAKE**

LUFFY PROBLEM

Luffy: Merry… *whines while balancing on the railing*

Merry: *Looks up from the book* What?

Luffy: I'm bored. *pouts*

Merry: *Sighs* Go bother Zoro.

Luffy: Okay… *Walked across the railing towards Zoro who was snoring peacefully* Zoro…

Zoro: *Yawns and stretches* what?

Luffy: I'm bored.

Zoro: I don't know, go bother Merry.

Luffy: But Merry says to go bother you.

Zoro: *grunts* Then go bother Kuina.

Luffy: Okay... *Raised her hand* Kuina, I'm - *a dumbbell whizzed by*

Kuina: Don't bother. I'm training. *Lifts her weights then turns away*

Luffy: Zoro… She's training.

Zoro: Ugh… Go bother Nami, I'm going to sleep.

Luffy: She said she's counting treasure and was drooling like dog with rabies. *pouts*

Zoro: Talk to Merry about this. *Rolls over to avoid Luffy's puppy dog eyes*

Luffy: *pouts even more while turning around* Merry- *a wave shot up from the sea and swept her off the boat*

Merry: *Continues reading*

Zoro: …

Kuina: …

Luffy: Glub glub glub *Drowning*

Kuina: *Frantically* Go get her!

Zoro: *shot up from his seat* THE HELL-! *jumped off the side of the boat and dived into the water*

Merry: *chuckles*

Zoro: *breaks out of the water carrying a soaked Luffy* Merry!

Merry: What? *Lowering the book*

Kuina & Zoro: MERRY!

Merry: I'm innocent. *Raises his hands*

* * *

 **So, i'm guessing many of you are wondering what happened in this version of the story that kept Kuina alive, and, what had happened when Merry and Nami was trapped in the safe that Nami somehow joined the crew earlier than expected... It's your job to ask and I'll answer it for you in the next chapter's A/N note!**

 **Last but not least sorry for the mistakes and stuff. Give a fav and follow and lots of reviews.**

 **Love you guys, :3**

 **KNOX**


	10. Chapter 9: Loyalty Gain

**Another release of Oncoming Storm!**

 **Oh, and just so you know, it's my birthday today, on the 19 of September! Yay! Now I'm officially 14!**

 **School's been busy so the update's a few days late, sorry. Like always, hope you enjoy this chapter, sorry for all the mistakes, and have a good reading time.**

 **Disclamer: the day i own One Piece would be the day Ace willingly confesses his feelings to Fem Luffy and that day would surely never happen. One Piece belongs to Oda Eiichiro!**

* * *

 **LOYALTY GAIN**

'I'm hungry…' Luffy said as she dangled on the railing of the ship, sticking out her tongue as she stared at the water below yearningly.

'We're hungry too!' A group of three Alvida Pirates shouted into her ear angrily. They were sitting on the railing, fishing rods that don't seem to attract any fish in their grips. The two crews had been starving for an entire day and no one have had any luck in catching even a scratch of food.

Nami started as she pushed herself to her feet with a loud sigh, her hair swaying lightly. 'It was your fault after all, Luffy. Who'd expect that you would finish everything in the fridge in ten freaking minutes!' Her voice abruptly changed into a roar as she pulled the rubber girl's cheek violently. Then, she sighed again as she let it go with a snap and turned to a certain silver haired young man who was reading a book while leaning against the ship's mast. Nami snarled angrily, 'And some annoying grey haired, stone faced jerk didn't take the consideration to warn me about it!'

Merry lowered the book enough in order for his eyes to be seen and stared at her unfazedly through the multi-coloured sunglasses. She could slightly make out the smirk on his lips as he turned to another direction and continued reading. Then, he turned around suddenly and said with a smile, 'the hair colour's silver, not grey.'

Nami's eye twitched uncontrollably. 'And my hair's red, not orange…' She said mockingly before whipping around and shouted with the devil's fangs, 'Is he fucking kidding with me?! When I signed up for this crew, I didn't sign up to starve to death! YOU KNOW?!'

'Well, he did tell us the food is endangered.' Zoro grumbled aloud, naming his presence at the opposite railing of the ship. His eyes were half lidded, as if he had just awoken for a nap. One of his hands ran through his bright green hair as the other flapped his loose seaweed coloured t-shirt as if trying to push the humid air out. He was obviously affected by the heat.

'But it sounded more like a riddle to me.' Kuina said with her tongue stuck out slightly. She was lying on a beach bench, tanning herself under the tropical sun. Unlike her usual fighting uniform - the yukata - today, she was only wearing a simple white tank top and grey denim shorts. Her blue hair draping on her shoulders instead of being tied up.

Nami sighed as she narrowed her eyes. Merry is quite the reliable person but he could be so annoying when he wanted to. Nami looked over the crew one more time. Luffy had _expectedly_ fallen into the water, only to be shot back onto the ship head first by one of Merry's water cannons, laughing like a crazy person all the way through.

She sighed as she looked down at the map and compass placed on the coffee table next to her. They should be reaching Orange Town soon enough if they continued at this speed. Then, after that, she'll be done with her deal and will be allowed to leave peacefully. Though, it was not really her thing to leave peacefully, she'd usually betray them before leaving. Why did she feel like she shouldn't do it? No, she couldn't bring herself to do it. They were the first pirate crew who had ever proven to be trustworthy; they were the first people to break open her emotional shield. She couldn't bring herself to get them involved not matter how strong they are. Maybe they're…

'A BIRD!'

'Yes, a bird…' Nami said and nodded without thinking. 'Wait… WHAT?!'

Luffy pointed to the sky making the crew, including Nami glance up and they brightened as their eyes caught sight of the arrow like figure gliding on the sky above. The crew stared at the animal cravingly as they had just found their first source of food. Even from such a distance, it was clearly shown that the bird felt uncomfortable under the bloodthirsty gazes. Its confident flight line slightly faltered as it flew above the ship.

'Let's shoot it down…' Koto, who was one of the few decent looking members of the crew, who doesn't look that much like a thug that Alvida had picked up from the streets, said with a very cruel and unlikely grin on his face.

'You'll ruin the meal then.' The young captain said as she licked her lips hungrily, 'I'll catch it!' Luffy announced as she wiped away the drool dripping down from the corners of her mouth. Before anyone could react, she grabbed onto the mast with her right hand and shot herself into the air while shouting: 'Gomu Gomu no Rocket!' No one had registered what happened until they hear the distant scream of a certain orange haired girl flying away with the spontaneous captain.

'SAVE MEEEE~!' Nami's shout could be heard shrinking away from the distance, a trail of her tears was left behind when they flew off. When did Luffy even took the time to grab onto the navigator?

The crew stared at the scene, they're jaws slackening as Luffy hit the bird with much force, throwing the bird off its course and straight into the island far in the distant. It stayed like that for a long time, the entire extended crew silence with shock. It wasn't until Merry shot out of his seat, with a grumble and started barking out order did they started to move again.

'Everyone! Unfurl the sails, get the paddles! We're going after them to that island and I don't want to miss a beat. Get it going!' He shouted. It was rare to see him shout but this was urgent problems. He'd want to save that island before Luffy does the impossible and set the entire place on fire. Happened many times before.

'I hope she doesn't get into any trouble.' Kuina said, fixing her slacked jaw while she was at it.

Merry scoffed slightly when he heard her, then, he shot Kuina a smug smirk, 'The day when trouble and Luffy doesn't come hand in hand is the day the world flares up in eternal flames. That's why he needs us worry warts at his tail to make sure he doesn't end up killing himself before his goal is accomplish.' His smirk turned rather fond as he said the words and Kuina she stared at him along with Zoro, slightly surprised look on their faces. Then, their expression shifted into similar excited and content smiles.

'I get what you mean.' Zoro said under his breath, the smirk only growing wider.

They stayed in a longwinded, calming silence until a one of the Alvida Pirates who was manning the crow's nest came shouting about three pirates demanding the ship to stop and hand over all the treasure they have. It was also said that the little ship that the three pirates was on was adorned with the jolly roger of Buggy the Clown. _Well Nami would've murdered someone if she heard that someone wanted her treasure._ Kuina thought with a scoff.

'You're blocking our way.' Merry said as he looked over the railing with cold eyes and an unreadable smile. Though, he sounded extremely threatening.

'Don't you know, we are the subordinate of Buggy the Clown, and our captain won't hesitate to kill you with his devil fruit powers?' They said, completely ignorant to his subtle warning.

Merry clicked his tongue slightly then peered over his shoulder at the other duo who was starting to approach him out of curiosity. Zoro looked over the handrail with his usual scowl, making the three 'fearless' pirates take a slight step back. Then, Kuina followed his example, her sharp eyes glaring at them intimidatingly. Merry chuckled at their taken aback form. 'You should know who you're messing with before starting a fight, _Buggy pirate's subordinates_.'

*five minutes later*

'Hehe…hehehe~' The leader of the three pirates said as he rubbed his hands together with a stupid smile on their faces. 'We didn't know this ship was under the custody of the Wind Blade Duo. You all know that we did not mean all the things we've said before didn't you?'

'Shut up and paddle. We don't have time for your bullshit and we've just lost out navigator and captain.' Zoro said threatening, leaning against the wall of the paddle room, hugging his swords threateningly. He couldn't believe that Merry had just tossed him into the place and told him they were his responsibility like that. Curse that damned devil… to all with his bet and dares and unshakable smiles. Zoro clicked his tongue menacingly, making the three pirates visibly jolt in fear.

'Uhm…' One of the pirates spoke up.

'Hmm?' Zoro turned around, his sharp glare making them jolt yet again.

'Well, uhm, where are you heading towards anyways?' He spoke again, clearly uncomfortable underneath the man's scowl and huge presence.

'Organ Islands.'

The three pirate's eyes widened, then, smug smiles took over their faces, clearly showing that they think they know something the others didn't know. Well, let's just emphasis on the word 'think' here. Zoro spared the three another look then speaking aloud with a smirk. 'If you think we don't know Buggy is at Organ Islands than you must be more stupid that you make yourselves to be.'

Zoro continued, satisfied with the bullet-of-a-sweat-bead the other three were breaking out in, 'Our captain has some unfinished business with yours.'

The trio bit their lips nervously, trying to shut up their frightened cries. What are they planning to do with captain? It seems that they know a lot about Buggy-sama… What is going to happen to them? Unwilling tears streamed down the three pirate's cheeks. _BUGGY-SAMA~! HELP US…_

* * *

'KYAAAA!' Nami shouted as she braced herself for impact. She was free falling in the air with her stupid, reckless, numbskull captain laughing heartily next to her and a badly bled _gigantic_ bird. Something is seriously wrong with that sentence and her life in general, isn't there? Before anything else could happen, a thin rubbery arm wrapped around her waist and the three figures landed onto the little town without a hitch.

'Damn it, Luffy! Warn me before you do stupid things! You scared the fucking wits out of my heart!' Nami shouted as she rammed her fist onto the black-haired captain, making the teenage girl fall face first into the paved road. Even with that, Luffy still laughed.

'What are you fussing about, Nami?' The girl said with a smile. 'We arrived at Orange Town and also get the bird. No harm done!' The way Luffy said was like she was implying that shooting herself of a ship and onto land was one of the most normal things in the world. Well, it was certainly normal for Luffy, anyways.

'Then why did you bring me with you?' Nami said as she rested her hand on her hips, an eyebrow raised expectantly.

'Because you can cook.' Luffy said bluntly. It was simple. She was definitely going to catch the bird and she needed someone to cook it for her and coincidentally, Nami was the closest person to her who could cook. The answer made Nami's lips twitch violently as her hand constantly form into a fist then loosened. She sighed and face-palmed. It wasn't worth it.

'Well, guess I'll just have to look to the positive side.' Nami said as she looked around. She didn't have the chance to notice it before but, the town was deserted. There was not even a single shadow of a human around here, though the town still have its breath of life, well, except for the rows of houses which were seemingly destroyed by some kind of firepower. She's just going to take a wild guess and say that Buggy was responsible for that. Pirate scums. Destroying innocent people's houses and driving them out of their own village. Nami but her lip and dug her nails into her palms. Then, she turned to Luffy.

Luffy had… no reaction. She was just staring blankly at the destroyed houses. It was so unlike Luffy to be unresponsive since she was the kind of idiot who shows what she thinks. But, inside, hidden beneath that façade was a raging anger towards the other Captain. How dare he destroy people's home, their treasure, like that? That jerk! If Merry is ever able to convince that man into her crew, she is going to teach him a lesson about pirates and their dreams. She doesn't mind if her allies go hunting for treasure or whatever, but they are never allowed to do reckless destroying, pillaging and murder just because they feel like it.

She stooped her hat a little lower to cover her angered eyes. Before Nami could show her concerns over the action, Luffy looked up again, the bright grin returning to its rightful place on her face. Luffy shouted; her hand waving for Nami to come with her after she picked up the unconscious bird. 'Come on let's go! I know we're both starving and it's not really likely that any of the people would mind if we borrowed some stuff, right?'

Nami smiled slightly. At least Luffy's back to her usual idiotic self now. 'Yeah, let's go. Oh, and what we're going to do is called trespassing and robbery.'

'I'm hungry!' Luffy shouted as she sprinted straight into one of the civilian's house, completely ignoring what Nami has just told her about. The orange-haired navigator just sighed again as she followed her temporary captain into the house.

It didn't take long before Luffy had begun chowing down on her food like a starved beast, while Nami ate quietly. Suddenly, Luffy looked up, her mouth still full of food. 'Hey, Nami, what are you going to do after this?'

It was clearly visible that the Navigator was hesitant to answer. She bit her lips slightly then exhaled, 'I guess… I guess I could tell you a little bit.'

Luffy swallowed then dropped her food onto the table, showing that she is going to pay attention. Luffy knew she would never put food down when she was this age but, she knows better now. Her friends are but more precious than meat could ever possibly be. She stared straight into her eyes, making Nami even more tentative. They stayed silent for a few moments, as if waiting for the other to react first.

'I _need_ 100 million Beli to save my village...' Nami said, biting on her lip while clenching her hands so tightly that nails had dug into her palms. She had finally said it. It made her chest light, so light she felt like she could float but then the anxiousness and expectations to the others reaction had started to weigh down on her again. What if Luffy abandoned her for her debt? What if they don't trust her anymore for keeping quiet from them?

'…Why didn't you just say so then?' Luffy asked bluntly, breaking the tense silence. Then, she began chugging herself with food again. 'We'll help you if you need it!' She continued, even through stuffed lips, it was clear how determined her words were.

Nami's mouth was hanging agape, staring at the female captain. It wasn't that simple, it couldn't be that simple. A pirate helping someone without asking for something in return. That's must be a lie. Her ears must be tricking her, her eyes must be blurred by something. Someone couldn't just go and shatter her life view like that! It took a long time before Nami voice returned and she questioned, her eyes narrowing, 'Why are you so willing to help then?'

'Why?' Luffy asked, dumbstruck. 'Do I even need a reason? If you want one then let's just say that it's because you're my friend!' She smiled widely at her. A pure smile with no darkness, no hidden reason, no motive.

That can't be. It isn't true! Nami could start to feel tears fill up in her eyes. 'You're lying!' The navigator suddenly shouted, head bowed down in an attempt to hide her crying. 'You are a pirate and pirates lie! You don't want to help me. You just want to get on my good side so you could use me!' Nami said. Though, it was more like she was lying to herself, deluding herself.

Luffy suddenly stopped her eating. Then she dropped her food slowly then looked up, straight into the other girl's eyes. Anger was clearly radiating from her. 'I don't lie to my friends!' She declared, making Nami back away with fear at the sudden action.

Nami then collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face non-stop no matter how hard she tries to wipe them away. She sobbed, sobbed to her heart's content, more than she had done for the past ten years. She couldn't really believe her ears when she heard those words. She didn't really believe there was someone out there who could save her, her town. It was as if this was a dream come true. She wiped away the tears even more profusely and soon her cries were reduced to hiccups. She spoke quietly, 'Thank you… Cap'n.' And along with those words were a truthful, bo-money-involved smile that hadn't been shown since the day her mother had passed away.

Luffy only grinned at her cheerily before shouting, 'Our pleasure!'

'But, I'll have to decline you.' Nami said with a smile, efficiently stopping the raven head in her tracks. Luffy stared at her comrade with confused and Nami continued. 'It's too dangerous.'

'What do mean it's too dangerous?!' Luffy broke out in anger. 'I don't care if it's dangerous! You, our nakama, needed help and that's all I need to know!'

'I don't need your help! I'm almost finish with my deal to get 100 million Beli!'

'Then we'll help you collect your money!' Luffy insisted, making Nami even more infuriated than she was before, her brows furrowing and her expression shifting to a scowl.

'YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOURSELVES KILLED!' She screeched at the top of her lungs.

'I DON'T CARE! I WON'T LET MYSELF DIE YET!' Luffy argued back, just as loudly and as strongly as Nami had just been.

The orange haired navigator was frozen as she broke down in tears again, 'I don't want you to die…' She murmured into her palms as she wiped away her tears again. 'I don't want someone precious to me die again…' She looked up as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

'Then, we promise we won't die.' The young captain said with an assuring tone and her trademark wide, sunny grin. It shown on Nami like the fire starting outside the window.

…

Wait a minute. THE FIRE STARTING OUTSIDE THE WINDOW?! Both Nami and Luffy charged to the windowsill and stared at the scene on the other side of stained glass. The raging flames was burning, dying the area around it blood red and deep auburn, like the leaves in fall draped with a scent of gore. The howling of a canine could be heard echoing through the area, a cry of pain and sorrow and lost memories. Nami whipped her head around, towards where her captain was but the girl was already out of sight.

'What the hell?! Luffy, where did you go again?' Nami shouted to herself, her easily-incensed demeanour returning. She glance around frantically and soon, had found her captain sitting next to the dog which was howling at the burning block of house. Nami took a sprint towards the other girl and stationed next to her. 'What are you planning on doing now?'

'Huh?' Luffy hummed questioningly, turning her head towards the navigator while she was at it.

'Don't "huh?" me! I know that blank, far-away look anywhere. What kind of stupid plan did you came up with this time, my captain?'

'Ah, it's nothing. I just suddenly want to beat the crap out of some idiot with a weird haircut and his stupid pet cat.' Luffy snarled as she cracked her knuckles.

- _A certain man riding on a gigantic feline fell off his seat as his ride suddenly let out an animalistic sneeze and a huge shiver of fright-_

'Well, that was specific.' Nami said as she backed away with an awkward smile. Anger was clear in the young captain's voice, and whatever she was planning to do with those individuals Luffy had named, it was going to be excruciating. Nami looked around. There was nothing much to look at anyways, well, except for the gigantic paw marks left on the ground.

'Oi! You kids! What have you done to Chou Chou!?' a gruff, worn out voice shouted, mixing along with the clinking of metal and wood. The old man with an odd looking hair style waddled towards the two pirates. He stopped and rested his hands on his knees, breathing heavily from the stress his makeshift armour had put on him. He looked like any other normal citizen with circular glasses and creases on his skin that showed how much he had age. Everything about the man was normal, other than the armour and his furious scowl.

'We didn't do anything.' Nami said calmly.

'Then, how do you explain the bruises and bleeding that Chou Chou got?' He asked, his voice getting angrier as he raised his fist up threateningly. Though, the gesture did not make either Luffy or Nami or even Chou Chou scared or taken aback.

'He was already like that when we saw him. He was probably harmed by one of the Buggy Pirates.' Nami continued, making the man's scowl look even more furious. Well, it's quite relatable actually, if you look at the damage those pirates had down to his town.

'Hey, old man! Is this dog's name Chou Chou?' Luffy asked, her head bent back in an impossible way, a face splitting grin on her lips and a finger pointing at the injured dog who was observing the conversation quietly.

'Yes, his name is Chou Chou.'

'Then, what's your name?' Luffy asked again.

'My name is Boodle! I am the Mayor of this town and I refuse to let anyone hurt my people like that!' He said, puffing up his chest. Then began charging off towards the direction of the paw prints. 'This town is my treasure! Our treasure! I won't let them ruin it no matter what! I don't even care if the man I oppose is a notorious pirate!'

'Wait, old man!' Nami shouted. Running towards him and pulling him back by the arm. 'You can't go! You'll get yourself killed!'

'I don't care! I need to get Chou Chou's revenge! That man has destroyed his treasure. Everything that he had treasured! I will not, in anyway, tolerate myself letting this go!' He said as he continued to struggle in the young navigator's grip.

'Shishishishi!' Luffy suddenly laughed. 'I like you, old man!'

'DON'T YOU GO "SHISHISHI" ON ME! COME AND HELP ME STOP HIM ALREADY YOU RUBBER BRAIN IDIOT!'

Ignoring Nami entirely, Luffy continued. 'I'll help you, old man. I'll defeat whoever destroyed Chou Chou's treasure and get Buggy out of your town for you.' She stood up and wiped the specks of dust off her pants, a hand reaching out to put her favoured straw hat on her head. 'Are you okay with that?'

It was silent. Nami had thought that Luffy was kind to help her but she would also help an unknown man in an unknown town just like that? This idiot never ceases to amaze her. Unlike, Nami, Mayor Boodle was absolutely torn between how to feel. Should he be happy that someone still had a heart kind enough to help or angry that a kid would sacrifice her life to help someone she had never met before? After a while of continuously opening his mouth and then opening it, the elderly Mayor grumbled, 'Thank you, kid, but I'm doing this on my own. This is my town, my responsibility and it's my job to protect it.'

Luffy hummed, leaning her head to aside as if she was thinking about something then perked up again, 'I refuse!'

'You refuse what?' Nami and Boodle said at the same time with the exact same confused tone.

'I refuse your refusal! We're going no matter what! And Merry also had some business with the Buggy whatever guy. So I'm going!' Luffy said with a determined tone, sound as if her decision wouldn't change even if the world was to collapse on her because of her choice.

Boodle looked infuriated, but thankful at the same time. 'Fine!' He grumbled out though he smiling to his heart's content. 'If you die, I won't be of any responsibility of it!'

'It's fine, old man. I won't die; I have a promise to keep.' Luffy said with a bright grin. Luffy turned back towards the sea. _I wonder what Merry and the guys are doing right now. Hope she's already reached the island shore._ She smiled before grabbing onto her hat and jumping up ahead, shouting, 'LET'S GO!'

Nami shook her head as she face palmed exasperatedly. How come this idiot always gets whatever she wants when she wanted it? She's probably not even going to ask since, like the sadistic Peace Maker said, Luffy Logic cannot be fought against. Nami looked up again, smile fondly as she followed her Captain's example and following behind them both with a hyperventilating Mayor Boodle.

* * *

'Hmm…' The pirate captain hummed, hiding behind the shadow of curtains. He was sitting in a throne like chair inside a circus tent which was heavily guarded by snarling and growling pirates. Well, let's just say that they were growling and snarling until Zoro and Kuina stepped into the scene.

Merry stared at the shadow covered figure ahead of him, his straight and expressionless face unchanging. Buggy stared back, his eyes slightly glinting in the light. He jumped up to his feet and shouted, 'If you want to start an alliance with the great Buggy-sama, you'll have to flashily bring your Captain here! How dare you come into my territory and try to get an alliance with me without your leader directly contacting me?!'

'Well, as you can see, our Captain is currently lost in your "territory".' Merry said as he pointed into town, a sly smile on his face. 'You see that bird that came falling into town earlier?'

'So, what of it?'

'That bird was a government surveillance bird, it has a den den mushi that is attached to its leg which I've already caught on the way here…' He rose up a baby surveillance den den mushi with the Marine's mark imbedded on its shell and showed it out to Buggy. 'You don't want this to be exposed to the world right? What you did to this town? You said you're proud of your bounty but you want it to remain the same, don't you? That's why you fled to the weakest sea after your captain's execution.

So, I want to make a deal with you, Buggy. When our captain returns, your crew and our crew will have a… friendly face off. I won't move one step in order to even everything out. If we win, you become our underlings. We'll train you into shape for the Grand Line and supply you with information needed to get through it safely. In return, you come to us whenever we need your help and our treasurer, who would be coming here soon along with our captain, would be dealing with all the money problems.'

Buggy was visibly tense but he still let a feral smile etch on his lips. The captain leaned forward slightly. 'Then what do I get when I win?'

'We'll give you all our money, a treasure map and this den den mushi.' He held up the snail in his hand. Though people might think it's a wild bet, it's definitely not. Since there is pretty much no chance of them losing this bet. And even if Buggy somehow magically wins, they won't have any drastic losses… other than facing the uncontrollable rage of their treasurer. After all, the den den mushi Merry is holding is just something he stolen from one of Garp's ship.

Buggy thought for a little while longer before grinning like a mad man. He stood up from his throne and revealed himself to the crew. He wore am orange captain cape which matches his captain hat, had a red nose and wore clown like make up. His skin was pale and blue tassel like hair hung from the two rims of his hat, which just make him look much more pathetic than he made out to be. He stepped towards the Peace Maker and shook the man's hand with a grin nearly as smug as Zoro's smirk. 'Pleasure working with you.'

'You too.'

'Now, lock him up, men!' Buggy ordered, pointing at Merry.

'WHAT?' Kuina and Zoro snarled. They were trying to stay silent and let Merry deal with everything but this is getting out of hand. They're going to lock one of their nakama up? There's no way they'll let that happen. Kuina took fighting stance and tightened her grip on the Wado Ichimonji while Zoro obviously tried to kill them with his glare – and it actually might be working for that matter.

'Don't get so flashy, kids.' Buggy said as he raised up his hand. 'We're just following the rules. What if something bad happens to you all and your Peace Maker decided to make a move?'

'He's right.' Merry said with a nod and a smirk. Zoro and Kuina relaxed and took a step back. _He has a plan._ 'Better safe than sorry, isn't that right?'

'Good, now that we've come to an agreement… TIE HIM UP!' He barked again and a few men came scrambling in with ropes and a huge iron cage. About ten minutes later, the silver haired Peace Maker was wrapped up and boxed like a present. And that was spoken quite literally, for your information. Merry sat in the middle of the cage, which was decorated with long strips of multiple coloured ribbons, and to add to that, his ropes were also wrapped in a huge bow with glitters. Merry himself was also quite decorated, with a very horrible scowl, that is.

'Why is there a bow? And what's with the ribbon?' Zoro questioned with an eyebrow raised, while his partner was covering her mouth in an attempt to stop laughing.

'For flashy reasons.' Buggy said proudly, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked up with a reminiscing look.

'FUHAHAHAHA!' Kuina blurted out, not even attempting to hide her laughter anymore. She pointed at Merry and said through snorts and laughter. 'Merry, you look pathetic!'

'Why, thank you for the compliment.' The Peace Maker said with a flat glare, his eye twitching uncontrollably. 'When this is all over, I'll remind myself to give all of you appropriate punishments.'

That was when Kuina and Zoro both physically paled and backed away quietly. They both turned to their back and latched onto the railing, mumbling out through sighs. 'God bless you, Luffy, for the sooner you return, the less the chance of Merry murdering us all with his anger…'

Buggy's crewmembers' jaws hung. 'Is he that dangerous?'

'You'll never know… unless you experience it yourself…' Zoro said with a sorrowful look that he probably have never worn before. He shuddered as he remembered the torturous experience he faced under Merry's wrath.

The entire crew turned towards their boss with pleading expressions, rivers of tears flowing out from their eyes. 'Captain Buggy~!'

'I'm not freeing him.' Buggy said in a stern tone. 'That's breaking the deal's conditions.'

'BUUGGGYYYYY!' A loud voice screamed from below, catching all of the Clown-themed pirate's attention. They made a dash for the railing and stared down at the individual shouting her head off below. She was a young girl who was in her late teens. She was relatively small and lanky for her age group, adorned with a straw hat, bright yellow tank top and denim shorts with furry rims. She had very short, messy jet black hair and a scar under her left eye. Oh, and let's not forget the sneer she had on her lips.

The orange hair girl following her had a cocky smile on her lips but she was no less angry than the girl before. She wore a blue coloured unbuttoned shirt with a striped bikini top underneath and a pair of knee length trouser. She held a metallic bo staff and her bright neon hair was tied up into a pony tail. And let's just say that if looks could kill, then the Buggy pirates would've died three thousand times over.

The first girl, who was Luffy, carried herself with pride as she pointed towards the building and straight towards the opposing pirates. 'COME DOWN HERE, BUGGY! I WON'T FORGIVE YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO THIS TOWN UNTIL YOU GET A BEATING!' With her hat shadowing a part of her face, Luffy gave of an intimidating air that had made multiple of the Buggy pirates back away. She flung her arms slightly and the sound of something colliding with the building's roof could be heard. The clown themed pirate crew whipped their head around to see one of their nakama, Mohji, and his pet, Ritchie, flat on the ground, unmoving and bloodied.

'What did she so to Mohji?' One of the pirates screeched his hand pulling down his own face on either shock or fear… or maybe both.

'He was one of our most powerful men and he just crushed him like this? I don't think this is going to be a good idea to challenge them like this…' Another man cowered, backing away profusely from the other crew. They had to deal with someone as powerful Luffy and there was also Zoro and Kuina, who are known across the sea as one of the strongest swordsmen. How could they possibly win?

'IF ANY OF YOU DARE TO BACK AWAY RIGHT NOW, I'LL DEAL WITH YOU GUYS MYSELF! NOW PREPARE THE BUGGY BALLS!' Buggy roared, pointing at the canon to his left and all of the men scrambled towards the object. They prepared the canon and dropped in a red canon ball. This caught the Wind Blade Duo's attention. One of the men ordered. 'Prepare to fire!'

'The game's about to start.' Merry said with a smug grin, leaning back against his cage's bars. If his hands were free, he would probably be crossing his arms. He turned to the swordsmen duo and said, 'You two better return to Luffy's side.'

'Sure thing.' They both said dismissively before charging towards the canon, swords in their grip. In a blink of an eye, the canon was reduced into multiple metal rings, looking like a sausage sliced into pieces. The duo then, after destroying the canon, hopped of the building and landed next to Luffy, unscathed.

'They sliced the canon to pieces!' One of the men screeched.

'We've lost our fire power!'

'That's crazy! They just jumped off a five floor building and they don't even seem injured!'

'Monsters! THEY'RE MONSTERS!'

The Buggy pirates screamed in panic. Running around, frantic. They know they're not going to win. Merry sat in his place, chuckling at the scene. It was interesting to see Buggy's face when he realised that he was going to lose this bet. Buggy the Clown, himself, was staring jaw slack at the scene, dumb-stricken with snot hanging from his nostril. He shook his head and ran to the railing. 'Y-you! You used Haki!' He pointed at both Kuina and Zoro, legs shaking wildly. He had thought he could win the bet with his Bara Bara no mi's powers but now that he knew they had Haki, all of his chances were gone.

'So?' Zoro looked up, eyebrow raised.

There was a moment of silence before all of the Buggy pirates were on their knees. They bowed so low that their noses were in contact with the ground. They all pleaded, 'WE SURRENDER!'

'OI! I haven't agreed on this yet!' Buggy shouted at his men.

'Buggy-sama~!' They turned to their boss with tearful eyes and pouts. 'We don't want to die~!'

'You're not going to.' Merry said with a yawn. 'Now that you've surrendered, you're all part of our alliance. We won't kill you.'

'I'M NOT PART OF YOUR ALLIANCE YET! COME ON, CABAJI! LET'S GIVE THESE GUYS A TASTE OF OUR POWER!' Buggy shouted before flying down the building. Then, a shadow flew throw they air and landed in front of the Straw Hat. He had long hair which covered parts of his face while the other half of his head was closed shaved. He wore a long scarf, open sleeveless vest and baggy pants. The oddest thing was that we was balancing atop of a unicycle. He twirled around with his sword scraping the ground, shouting, 'Kyokugi! Yukemuri Satsujin Jiken!' And from his twirling, he created a gigantic smokescreen

'Bara Bara…' Buggy shouted in the smoke. 'EVASION!'

'He's running away?!' All of the remaining pirates shouted comically, their jaw's hitting the ground.

'I won't let you get away!' Luffy shouted. She rested a palm on her bicep and reeled back, letting her arm stretch at least ten metres backwards. 'Gomu Gomu no…' She announced as she stepped forward. The fist snapped forward, breaking through the air. 'Pistol!' The fist travelled into the dust, and a sound of a jaw breaking could be heard. Buggy broke free from the cloud of dust and slammed into one of the house's walls, breaking it into rubbles.

Cabaji, in contrary to his captain, was praying next to his crewmates, knees on the ground and begging to join the crew. 'WE SURRENDER!' They chanted.

* * *

It was a usual day in the Orange Town. The citizens had returned to their homes, seeing that the pirates who were occupying the roof of one of the bars had been defeated. Oh wait… I mean, it was one of the unusual days in the Orange Town. The citizens had returned to their homes after seeing a giant explosion in town only to find an unconscious Buggy and their mayor in the similar state. They went rampage and tried to attack the people who had injured their leader only to find the said pirates fixing their homes, the same homes which they had destroyed to splinters only a few days ago. What was happening? Things just got weirder when a young man in a purple coat and matching bowler hat – who claims to be a pirate – came over and apologised to them profusely and also gave them a decent amount of money to supply themselves for the next few weeks.

A few hours after all the oddities had happened; their beloved Mayor had woken up again and explained to them what had happened. The Straw Hat pirates, as they had claimed themselves to be, had, under the whim of the Mayor himself, took down the Buggy pirates and protected the town. They had also guaranteed that Buggy will not cause any more harm to the town now that he is the Captain's, Luffy's, subordinate. After that, they insisted on having a party to celebrate their heroes but were denied by the pirates who said they are in urgent times and had to leave.

By the time the collateral damages were all fixed, it was night. The temporary ship of the Straw Hats, Miss Love's Duck, came to take them off, with the Buggy pirates following closely behind with their own Big Top.

'They better come back to visit us when Luffy becomes Pirate Queen.' Mayor Boodle grumbled with a fond grin.

'I'm sure they will. And if that time comes, they won't be able to deny the party.' The town's doctor said, hands in his pockets. He had ended up having to tend Buggy, which infuriated him to no end, but in return he was promised by Merry that when they return they will accept any offer from the town.

'What a weird band of pirates, I wonder how they'll survive in the Grand Line!' Mayor Boodle said with a hearty laugh before heading off into the once-again calming town, unknown to the events happening on the ship sailing away from their docks. On the said ship, a certain blue haired, red nosed captain was thrown of the ship by an infuriated Peace Maker. It was all back to normal, with their usual crazy life, crazy world…

'Someone go get the Clown.' Merry said with a grunt as he sat down on his usual beach bench, book already in his hand and a cup of tea next to him. A few of the men dived into the sea to help their drowning Captain. After Buggy was revived, he let a wrath on Merry only to be ignored and called Clown again. 'Listen, you Clown; I won't tolerate being treated like a present wrapped up in bows and such. It ruins my pride. I'm sure you would've even tried to kill someone who tried to ruin your pried too. Now that I'm done with lecturing you, we have to get to more important matters, such as the alliance.'

'STOP CALLING ME CLOWN! IT'S AN INSULT ON MY NOSE YOU BASTARD!' Buggy screeched.

'Go sue the Marines for giving the bounty poster that says "Buggy the Clown" Clown.' Merry said dismissively. 'Now this is your end of the deal, so listen. We won't visibly show any sign of ownership over your crew but if you do something that even remotely shows that you are betraying us, you'll have to deal with me and Luffy, do I have myself clear?'

The Clown themed pirates nodded. The Peace Maker continued, 'We'll part at the Twin Capes and you're allowed to go anywhere you want as long as you promise to come to our side whenever we call for you. We'll also take a part of your monthly income, as our _permanent_ Treasurer had stated, and in return, we'll supply you with treasure maps. So that said, you'll be our Treasure Hunting department. Do you agree with that?'

They all nodded. Buggy even looked quite excited for it. 'But, you're no longer allowed to attack towns and pillage from innocent citizens. Only fight people when they took the initiative, that's this crew's motto. If you break that rule, I'll be sure to deal with you properly.' Shivers ran down their spin as the voice as cold as the seventh layer of hell resonated through their minds.

'We'll also train your body and mind in this short period of time enough in order for you to survive the Grand Line unscathed. Are we clear?' The crew nodded again. 'Now, soon, our other captain will return with her subordinates. You'll all get along and tell her that the training would start tomorrow morning. Don't wake up late and set your clock to 5 a.m.' they all nodded again and Merry smiled warmly. 'Now that we're clear on that matter, return to your posts and get a good rest.'

They all gaped at the man for a moment before Ritchie raised his paw. He growled something that most people couldn't understand. Luffy look down from her special seat, shouting, 'He said "What's the catch?".'

'The catch to what?' Merry asked innocently.

'To your sudden nice demeanour.' The entire extended crew asked.

'Oh, I just thought that you'll need some calm time before you won't even be able to feel comfortable breathing anymore.' Merry said with the same innocent smile, though, through the eyes of the crew it looked more like a grin of a devil towards its victim. They all shuddered uncontrollably. Now, they won't even be able to sleep peacefully anymore without dreaming about what horrible fate they would face tomorrow.

'Ah, I feel lucky that I won't have to face all of that tomorrow.' Zoro said with the back of his head resting on his palm, leaning against the railing as if he was getting ready for a nap. Kuina nodded along with him. She didn't want to experience it either. It sounded even worse than her father's, Koshiro-sensei's, Haki training.

Luffy laughed heartily. 'What are you two talking about? You're doing the endurance training too! And then we'll also do the Defence and Attack training! I'm doing it to. It's good practice ya know.' She suddenly looked around as if she was searching for someone. 'Wait, where's Nami?'

'She ran.' Kuina said, pointing at the figure attempting to dive into the water with a bag of gold. How she planned to swim with such heavy object weighing her down? God knows. After all, man could become blinded by money. And Nami could become even blinder than that.

'NAMI!' The entire crew shouted, only to get a sheepish chuckle in return.

* * *

By the time Alvida had returned with her henchmen, she was an entirely different person. Her messy, frizzy black hair had now turned slick, shiny and wavy like ebony silk. Her body was now twice as tall and four times as thin. And she was very unstable, very very unstable. And this is spoken both physically and mentally. She would slip and fall flat on her face every five seconds and instead of getting hurt, she just slid it off uncontrollably. Alvida also would show off her new body in this second only to switch to crying about being complimented in the next and in the end, she concluded with having a constant internal fight with herself.

So, truly spoken, everyone in the original crew thought it was hilarious. Some of them such as Merry, Kuina and Nami would silently chuckle to themselves while others via. Zoro and Luffy would get a good laugh from it as soon as they could.

It was then that the extended crew woke up, getting (mentally) ready for their training. One of them shouted. 'It's a bishoujo!' Pointing at the woman ahead of them. Alvida, who had heard what they had said, blushed, turned and pointed at them shouting, 'Who is the prettiest woman on the seas?'

'You are!' All the man who had seen the female captain's face said with drool dripping from their mouths and hearts in their eyes. She squealed in happiness before literally collapsing on the ground with a happiness overdrive… or maybe she just tripped.

Merry grumbled aloud. 'Go wake the others up! We're getting ready for the training and just so you know, that "prettiest woman on the seas" looked like this before she ate her devil's fruit.' He said as he showed a picture of the previous Alvida and the few present men paled immediately.

'How dare you do that to me?!' She shouted, snatching the picture from him.

He shrugged before grinning at the woman slightly. 'You wouldn't want to get cocky now, would you? Wait until you beat Hancock to it to claim the title.'

'Hancock?' She questioned.

Nami spoke up through a yawn. 'Labelled the prettiest woman on the five seas. Her beauty is natural, be the way, unlike yours. Thousand men swoon over her only to become statues at her disposal. Quite literally even.'

'What does that mean?' Alvida asked, looking as dumbfounded as she was before.

'She has a devil's fruit ability.' Luffy shouted from her special seat.

'Why are you all up so early?' Alvida asked again, clinging onto the railing for better balance, though she was still slipping like she was standing on oiled ground.

'Today's training day.' Merry said blandly.

'TRAINING DAY?!' Alvida screeched, only to lose her grip and fall flat on the ground again. She tried to steady herself on her mace before continuing her screaming, 'who's doing the training then?'

'Merry.' The other's said sorrowfully, making the female captain turn as white as a sheet. She slipped again before collapsing on the ground, motionless but still slipping.

'It's okay, Alvida, I've already came up with a perfect training session for you.' Merry said with a smile. 'And, as a memorandum, you could keep that picture of your former self. I've already photocopied it and asked Koto to give it out to every one of the ship. Preparations for your welcoming party, you know?'

'Cruel…' The other members, not including the in-state-of-depression Alvida, said with a sweat-drop rolling down the back of their head.

A few hours later, the only remaining people who were standing was Luffy, Zoro, Kuina, Merry and Alvida. All the other crew members were on the floor, feeling too tired to even move a finger. Nope, make that too tired to even breathe properly. Alvida was standing for a different reason. She stood on one foot while all of her other limbs were carrying tall stacks of plates. She was… struggling.

'If you break any of those plates, I'll make sure to ask Nami to add their cost into your cosmetic fees.' Merry reminded her, using a small napkin to wipe away the sweat beads he gained from one of the running exercise. 'That is if she wakes up anytime soon.' He pointed towards the red head who was on the ground and grumbling something not understandable under her breath.

'Torture…' Alvida grumbled out under her breath, trying to keep her powers from activating. Zoro, who was already back in his napping position, let out a yawn before asking, 'Do these trainings continue every day from now until Loguetown?'

'OF COURSE!' Luffy shouted from her seat. 'If I'm going to have more nakama, I'm going to make sure they could all survive! And, after all those months, I was starting to miss Merry's training! Fighting East Blue pirates are too easy!'

The crewmembers who were still conscious let out a loud, simultaneous sigh and Alvida just took that exact moment to slip and fell flat on her face, breaking two plates before Merry caught the others off from the air. 'You let those to fall while you could've caught it.' Alvida said with her face still in the ground.

'Punishment, punishment.' Merry said with a smile, making Zoro, Kuina and Luffy chuckle. It was another normal day in the adventures of the renewed Straw Hat crew. It was a normal day indeed.

'NORMAL DAY MY ARSE!' the entire extended crew, who was trying their best to even breathe, said to my face… Wait, WHAT?

* * *

OMAKE

BUGGY BARGAIN

Nami: So, have you had the talk with Merry?

Buggy: Yeah, I couldn't believe he threw me off the ship.

Nami: I know right? *chuckling*

Buggy: So, you're the flashy treasurer?

Nami: Yep. Nice to meet you, I'm Nami. I like mikan and money. *Showing of an 'okay' sign with her finger while winking*

Buggy: Yeah, you too. So, what do you want to discuss about?

Nami: Money issues of course.

Buggy: *raises his eyebrows*

Nami: Let's get straight to the point shall we, the scale is 2:8.

Buggy: Nice deal, we get 8, you get 2, right?

Nami: *Chuckles* no no no. I think you're misunderstanding something here, we get eight. (translation: I get eight eight) And you get two.

Buggy: WHAT?! What do you mean, you flashy bastard?

Nami: so you agree with the deal? *Wink wink*

Buggy: No way in hell!

Nami: How about 1:9?

Buggy: Only if we get 9

Nami: okay, you'll get 1 *said in a tone of finality*

Buggy: are you deaf?!

Nami: Then what do you want? 0.5:9.5?

Buggy: NO!

Nami: Then that's the final deal

Buggy: At least 5:5

Nami: in your dreams

Buggy: 4:6?

Nami: No

Buggy: How about-

Nami: *raises a hand at his face* We also want your Grand Line map

Buggy: DAMN YOU ALL, YOU FLASHY BASTARDS! AT LEAST LET IT BE 3:7.

Nami: Aren't you getting greedy here? *scowl*

Buggy: ARGGHHH! *Jumped off the ship's railing*

Merry: Nice. *Looked overboard, whistling impressively* He jumped off it willingly. Maybe giving you job as treasurer was a right choice after all.

Nami: Aren't you darn right? Now give me my pay. *Showed out her palm*

Merry: you don't have a pay, but I'll let you have the crew's money. The scale's 0.5:9.5.

Nami: How generous of you, Merry, you're going to give me 9.5? Then I will accept your offer willingly

Merry: Have a nice time shopping with 5% of the crew's money *evil smirk*

Nami: DAMN IT! COME BACK HERE, YOU!

*the next morning*

Alvida: how did it go with Nami?

Buggy: I got 10% of the profit

Alvida: Good for you, I got 0.1%

* * *

 **Guess who watched One Piece Movie 13: Film Gold? I did! I'm so happy! But still, let's get back to the main matter: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS CHAPTER? Give me a review, and if you like the story so far, give a fav. Of you're curious to what'll be happening in the future, give a follow.**

 **And check our my new story Paintbucket Spiral if you're interested. I was planning to release the second chapter today but i was a little busy so...**

 **Look forward to the next chapter!**

 **Sincerely, KNOX**


	11. Chapter 10: Island of the Exotic

**Hello, my beloved readers, it has been a very long time. I'm sure you've been rather annoyed by me. I'll be honest I'm extremely sorry to have stalled this for so long. I had lost inspiration and many thing were happening with exams and all. I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter despite it being rather short compared to my previous ones.**

 **My birthday's tomorrow so i'm celebrating it with you guys by finally updating this! Can't believe its already been a year...**

 **Diclaimer: If i owned One PIece, I'd be the most irresponsible mangaka in the world and no one would ready One Piece T~T**

* * *

 **ISLAND OF THE EXOTIC**

'Land ahoy!' One of Alvida's crewmate shouted with vigour. It's had only been two days since they left the Organ islands and they had already found a new place to rest at – it was either their blessing or cursing. It was only the first day of Merry's hellish boot-camp treatment and no one could feel their muscles any longer, getting it to twitch was already fortunate enough. Now that they were able to reach an island, the dangers they might have to face was most likely going to be treated like sandbags for them to train with anyways, which was obviously **not** what they would want.

Merry stood at the railing of the Big Top, eyes squinting at the island which was rapidly increasing in size. He turned and mumbled to Nami, 'It's… unoccupied. There are some animals there but they are all rather docile. We'll drop on there and take a break.'

With a nod, Nami turned and screamed loudly, '10 degrees to starboard, raise the sails! No slacking off!'

The crew grunted, each still trying to revitalise from their training. Buggy managed to sit up slightly, 'Look whose telling us to stop slacking off… you're not doing anything either.' He justified weakly.

'You're half dead and are still willing to argue?' The silver haired peacemaker whispered under his breath, a cold grin surfacing on his thin cherry lips. 'It's seems you still have much energy to waste, don't you, Clown?'

Suddenly, Buggy's face turned almost as blue as his own hair, stuttering like a broken record he screeched frightfully, 'N-n-no, I'm not… I'm d-dying, no energy! I'm dead!' Then, frantically, he shouted to his lackeys, 'What are you slummers doing? Do you think we have forever? Get your arses moving! You useless mess!' His voice shook as he shouted up at top of his lungs, nostrils flaring.

On the companion ship, which was towed along the Big Top, Miss Love's Duck, had also became bustling with activity. The men were scrambling around, pulling strings and unravelling ropes. Meanwhile their captain was in a crisis of whether the mastery of her powers is more important than her cosmetic budgets. It had been an obviously gruelling decision to make. She had been sitting in the same position for more than four hours, staring blankly at the wall, looking like a half dead entity. Occasionally, she would let out long streams of inaudible words which even her comrade couldn't fathom.

'Do you think she'll be okay?' Kuina pondered, tying up her hair and draping on her yukata above the black tank-top and shorts. Then, wrapping the blue belt around her waist and inserting her sword in to its place by her side, she turned to Zoro. The swordsman, like usual, leaned against the wall with his elbow resting on his three swords protectively.

'I'm sure she'll be back to her old self soon enough!' Luffy answered in stead of Zoro, legs swinging as she sat on the ledge of the ship's cabin roof. She grinned as glanced towards the island, looking forward to her new adventure. Even though East Blue wasn't as mighty and awe inspiring as the Grandline, it was still the place where she recruited most of her nakama so she felt rather excited and curious of who was next in line. It was not until an hour later that they dropped their anchors and landed on the sandy beached of the abandoned island. The pirates took their time stretching and breathing in the earthy air of dry land. Relaxing themselves and bracing for the potential problems ahead of them. Merry hopped down from the deck of the Big Top, landing with a light thud, blowing the sand under his feet into the air. Showing his palm, he helped Nami down the rope ladder the Buggy Pirates had prepared. Then, soon after, Zoro, Luffy and Kuina followed suit, all landing gracefully on the beach.

Looking around for a moment, Luffy pondered, 'Where's Alvida?'

It was at that exact moment that a scream could be heard. They all turned to see the female captain on her bum, sliding slightly on the sand as she groaned painfully. 'Damn these powers!' She cursed, trying to stand up like a new born goat, legs clattering together.

Looking around, there was nothing much to see, mainly just lush green shrubs of leaves, sand and a few mountains further away. It was quite a simplistic and generic island in the East Blue, nothing much could be said about the little place. Kuina gave a glance and said dejectedly, 'Nothing much to see here, isn't there?'

'After all, it is an unpopulated island.' Nami stated as she opened up her map. 'I'll scale the coast to make a map.' She noticed Merry as her clicked her satchel open, taking out a pen and a compass.

Merry nodded in reply, 'There might be some problems around here so take Kuina and Zoro with you, they seemed quite bored anyways.'

'Sure, we'll be back in two to three hours I'd predict.' Nami said, checking her watch.

'I'll give a warning if anything happens.' Merry assured. After waving them goodbye and dismissing the trio, looking at their back disappear into the leaves, Luffy and him strolled back to the coast where all the extended crew members were gathered. She was rather dejected at how there didn't seem like anything interesting was happening. Luffy had noticed how they had all grouped together, looking exceptionally frightened at the sight of something up ahead. It was as if they had seen a ghost or monster of some kind.

"What's going on?" Luffy questioned, her head tilted aside. Startled, the crew jumped into the air, eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

"C-c-captain!" They screeched in unison with a mix of relief and caution. "And Merry…" They said dejectedly and dropped their guards.

"What's wrong with this difference in treatment?" Merry asked himself rhetorically.

They continued, teeth chattering, "There's a ghost!" They said, pointing ahead at the whatever hybrid animal that was staring at them from the distance. It was something similar to a cross between a fox and a cock. With fur covering its body but also donning a colourful feathered tail.

"That fox chicken things a ghost?" Luffy said, pointing at the ghost. She had seen many exotic animals in the world so the fox chicken hybrid didn't bother her much. "What you call that anyway? A ficken?"

"Don't ask stupid questions, Luffy." Merry said, narrowing his eyes, as he rested his hand on his rapier.

" _I'm the guardian of this forest, I command you all to depart from this place and leave the animals alone."_ A voice commanded loudly.

"Something was shot at us when we didn't listen! It's a ghost!" The crewmembers explained, pointing at the ground. Merry walked over and poked his hand into the ruptured earth. Then slowly, he clawed out a round metallic bullet.

Luffy had already gone ahead and walked towards the direction of the fox chicken hybrid, then, with her palm, she brushed a bush aside a bush revealing a gun. Further ahead, there was something which looked rather similar to a bush in a typical treasure box. Either way, there was almost nothing typical about this situation. Let's simplify this together. A bush, in a treasure box, which could talk and has a gun, threatened to 'punish them all' if they do not leave the island.

"Well, this isn't the weirdest thing we've encountered, right?" Merry said as he picked up this gun. Then, with a click, he reloaded it and pointed it towards the bush in the treasure box with an evil smile on his face. With a menacingly commanding tone he interrogated, "Who are you and what do you want with our crew?" He sounded so calm it gave the crewmember's themselves shivers.

Suddenly, a scream erupted in the air and the box, magically grew two stubby feet and began to sprint away at astonishing speed.

"It's moving!" The crew exclaimed, staring at the 'object' running away from them. Then suddenly, the box fell over with a painful thud and a deep yelp. "It fell!" They exclaimed again while Luffy observed it amusingly and Merry stared at it emotionlessly.

"Stop staring and pick me up already!" The box screamed after a few moments of awkward silence. The crew came up and looked at the object with curiosity.

"It's a man!"

"What else could 'it' be?" Merry said with exasperation, suddenly drowned with a sense of regret for taking in such a walking comedy show.

* * *

"This island is really bland." Nami said with a sigh, already finished with her sketch of the island. She stashed away the sheets of sketches, her compasses and tools before glancing around dejectedly. "It's also very small. Well, not much to expect around here."

"Are you done already?" Kuina asked, leaning on Nami's shoulder intimately. They seemed to have developed a rather close relationship after a few days of travelling together and being roommates. Nami nodded in response, glancing around with a quirked eyebrow. Kuina pursed her lip and asked probingly, "Don't ask me where Zoro is, I don't know either. Now that you're done with your work, I'll go look for him. I'm sure you know how to go back to Luffy-san and Merry-san, right?"

"Does this happen often?" The navigator asked awkwardly.

"More often than you can imagine." Kuina answered dismissively with a sense of irritation before hopping off into the forest after giving Nami a slight wave. Giving one last glance back at where the swordswoman had vanished off to, Nami also began her trip back to the crew.

Kuina dashed through the forest like a lightning bolt, her observation Haki spreading in all direction, observing all of the movements. Soon, she located Zoro, who was lying on a coast on the south side of the island. She didn't know how he managed to get all the way there but no one really ever knows, so she didn't question much. Walking into the sandy beach, she dropped her speed, ignoring all the mutated animals curiously peeking at the swordsman. Finding her spot naturally next to Zoro, Kuina laxly leaned back and exhaled lightly. "Having a nice time?"

"There's a large ship approaching from this direction." Zoro replied, eyes still closed.

"Should I report to Luffy-san?" Kuina asked, still rather light hearted as she grinned calmingly. She looked forward, as if she was mentally marking the dot on the horizon her target.

"They aren't strong, we can probably deal with them ourselves."

"Well what if they're not here for trouble?" Kuina asked.

"Then there's no need for us to report to Luffy right?" Zoro reasoned, slightly opening his eyes and glancing as Kuina with his sharp gaze. She shrugged, closing her eyes as she hummed slightly. Though her observation wasn't absolutely high-level, it was enough for her to encase the entire island with her powers. She sent a mental warning to Luffy and Merry encase anything important happens in her area. Seconds later, Merry's figure appeared on the sea surface ahead of them. His blue eyes flickered as he whipped around, focusing on the ship approaching with great speed.

He turned around after a few minutes, saying with his slightly monotonous voice, "Luffy and I will come over when we're done over there, notice Luffy when they arrive on the shore."

Kuina nodded while Zoro exuded an agreeing grunt and Merry dissipated bad into a puddle of seawater.

* * *

"OH! It's such a sad story!" Buggy and his crew member cried rivers, hugging each other in consolation, along with some of Alvida's own crew members. "A man kept from his treasure, desperately protecting it from people who came after them. You're a great pirate, Box Guy!" Buggy croaked.

"How stupid." Nami said, nose wrinkling. She had just came back from her mapping session, only to encounter the group of pirates listening to a man with a large afro who was also oddly fitted into a treasure box. They sat in a large circle, almost covering up the entire small blank field. He told tales of treasures and maps and how he was trapped here, on this abandoned island, in a box. She wasn't really interested in the stories, of course, but rather her eyes glittered when the word 'treasure' was echoed.

"Old man! We'll get your treasure for you!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly. She felt rather a sense of pity for the man but was glad to help either way. And also, if she was able to help a man accomplish his dreams she wouldn't mind doing so.

"My name is Gaimon!" The man in the box exclaimed in helplessness, but a tinge of gratitude apparent in his voice. But then, he turned around and indicated the plateau near the centre of the islands. He spoke with resignation, "But I don't think you can help me. It's all the way up that mountain, are you willing to climb it for a man who has no future like me?"

"Never mind that! First let's get your treasure!" The young female captain insisted, swinging her arms around with enthusiasm.

"Don't try to convince her, it won't ever work." Nami said exasperatedly as she began to head in the direction of the plateau, already immune to the erratic captain and her similarly nonsensical crew. Gaimon soon followed her, not bothering to question anymore as he waddled forward, his treasure chest rocking side to side. The rest of the crew followed suit, mobilizing their army through the forest. It seems that Buggy's crew – though have only spent a night with the Strawhats, had unconsciously felt they belonged to them and was rather obedient. Most of them had have an epiphany, in which they realised how pirating is not necessarily pillaging and destroying.

It only took less than ten minutes for them all to gather at the foot of the mountain. It was rather red and muddy but reached the height of about twenty to thirty metres tall. It was a short climb, rather the bothersome thing was how steep the mountain was. To a normal person it would be quite a rough climb but to Luffy it was as easy as stepping over a rock. "This'll be easy." She mumbled to herself, coiling back before stretching her hands up with amazing speed.

Gaimon's eyes almost fell straight out of their sockets when the sight played before him. He was flabbergasted as his mouth flapped like a broken toy. He managed to mumble out, "w-what kind of…"

"It's a devil's fruit." Nami explained casually. "We have four users in our crew already. There's our white haired peacemaker, Merry, with his Umi Umi no Mi. The tassel haired clown over there has the Bara Bara no Mi and the last one is the prideful beauty who keeps having to lean on other people (literally) who has the Sube Sube no Mi. And our captain, that girl over there, has the Gomu Gomu no Mi." She listed like she was reading of a shopping list.

The boxed man was even more startled. "I've been a pirate for a long time, and have heard of many tales about the devil fruits. But this is the first time I've seen one with my own eyes, not even mentioning four of them at the same time!"

"And I'll be honest, I don't think anything can be weird anymore after working as a navigator for this crew." Nami said with exasperation, silently concluding that she'd lose her sanity soon enough if she continued staying in this pirate crew.

Luffy had already managed to shoot herself onto the top of the mountain. But to everyone's curiosity, there had been no response from the young captain. Merry however had been rather silent with a look of contemplation and slight traces of dread on his face. He had received a message from his sister and was pondering on how to break the news to the man trapped in the treasure box. But before Merry could say anything, Luffy had already peaked out from the edge of the plateau, hands holding a treasure chest in her arms. She shouted, "There really are treasure chests up here! There're five of 'em up here!"

An expression of ecstasy appeared on Gaimon's face as he replied, "That's great! Drop them down! But don't hit us!" He cackled.

"No way!" Luffy said with a grin, sticking her tongue out in distaste. This left most of the crew shocked.

Nami glowered, "Luffy, don't mess around! I know we're all tempted by the treasure but you can't possibly try to take all of them for yourself! Stop kidding around!"

"Yeah Captain!" Koto exclaimed, though feeling something rather fishy about what was happening.

"Damned you rubber idiot! You can't hoard the treasure to yourself, the man found his treasure, you've got to give him the credit!" Buggy screeched, feeling sympathy for Gaimon as a fellow treasure hunter – only slightly though. The other crew members also expressed their dissatisfaction.

"It's okay you guys. Forget about it. It's okay if she doesn't want to drop them." Gaimon said dejectedly, his face darkening. He looked up, tears filled his eyes as he mumbled. "You're a good person."

"What are you saying?!" The rest of the screamed, absolutely confused of the events playing before them.

Gaimon continued, eyes filled despair and melancholy, "I've thought of the possibility before, but have convinced myself opposite… The treasure chests… are empty, aren't they?"

Luffy silently nodded. The man, who had waited for twenty years, let his tears pour down his face like a waterfall. He cried into his palms as they crew stared at him with great pity, there was nothing worse than knowing you have wasted twenty years of your life on an empty dream. "So the treasure did exist… Rather someone had come and taken them away before I even found the map…"

The air was solemn, everyone kept quiet and gave the man space, letting him take in the devastating truth. It was a moment after that Luffy let out a large laugh, "It's okay! Ossan! Fortunately, we came to you pretty early!"

"Yes, it would've been quite horrible if we left you to guard empty chests for the next few decades and leave you to rot in this lonely island." Merry spoke with his calming voice, smiling slightly.

Luffy continued joyfully, "Don't worry! There's still the great treasure of One Piece ahead of us, the adventures of the Grandline and the great tales to be heard! Won't you join us, Ossan?"

"Are you inviting me?" Gaimon asked, eyes shining with wonder as he thought of the adventures which might be waiting in stall of him. Tears of joy and gratitude rolled down his cheeks as he smiled, it's has been so long since he had heard those words of wonder. Then, he pondered for a moment before sighing slightly. He wiped away his tears and looked up with resolution. "Sorry, kid, but I don't think I'll go with you. I have my job as the guardian of the forest. These rare animals depend on me. Many people had come and go on this island to gather my exotic animals to sell them for money. I need to protect them."

"You're a rare and exotic animal too, Ossan, so take care of yourself!" Luffy exclaimed from above, grinning goofily.

"Shut it!" He screeched in reply and the crew chuckled joyfully, seeing as the heavy atmosphere had been lifted.

The rubber female captain jumped down from the top of the plateau and grinned happily at the pirate trapped in the treasure box. Gaimon continued, "I hope to here news of your crew coming on all the way from Grandline. I feel like you group of misfits are destined for greatness. But be careful, I've seen many people return from the Grandline, their face etched with the pain and despair of the cursed waters, the Pirate's Graveyard." His voice grew grim as he continued, his eyes narrowing in warning.

"Don't worry, Ossan, I'll come visit you when I can!" Luffy said joyfully. "When I acquire One Piece, I'll bring some of it over to you and your animals! Shi shi shi shi shi!"

"Oi! That treasure's my!" Buggy claimed loudly, swinging his arms around like an angry young child. The rest of the crew chuckled as Alvida managed to lose her grip on Koto and fell flat on her face, feeding herself a mouthful of sand. Merry smiled lightly at the 'heart-warming' scene before he suddenly received a flare of power entering his Haki field. It seems that the unidentified ship has arrived to shore after a few hours of time. He walked through the crowd silently and rested a hand on Luffy's shoulder and she turned around with a knowing look, nodding silently as if they were communicating through their eyes. She seemed to have also recieved the same signal from Zoro and Kuina and was also planning to head over.

"Well, something pretty cools happening on the other side of the coast so Merry and I'll go see what's up!" Luffy reported to the crew as they seemingly celebrated the events which had just happened. "You guys go ahead and enjoy yourselves, we'll return with Zoro and Kuina-san before long! Nami, Buggy and Alvida are in charge!"

Merry nodded in agreement before the two seemed to disappear into thin air, as if they had teleported away. The two appeared again on the coast only two seconds after, where Kuina and Zoro was resting their foot each respectively on two men wearing cat claws and a cow costume. One of them was very slim, with green hair, slanty feline eyes and claws, while the other was extremely rotund with round eyes and fangs. They were both struggling under the sword duo's feet helplessly. Merry and Luffy entered the scene silently. Luffy was rather numb to all the meet up with pirates after experiencing so many of them trying to challenge her authority in her past life. She rather felt bored of them when knowing they were no one powerful or special.

"These people are?" Merry asked, eyes them with an ice-cold gaze which almost dropped the air's degrees by three or four times.

"They called themselves Kuroneko Pirates. When they arrived, we suggested they coexist with our crew on the island quietly and that we'll leave in a few hours but they insisted on fighting us and threatened to steal our treasure while they're at it." Kuina explained, turning to Merry with a smile as bright as daylight. "So we beat them to a pulp and called you over to see what you'll do with them."

Luffy nodded while Merry remain emotionless and still. The young female captain suggested cheerfully, "I'm bored and I don't really know how to deal with this so how about we let our Peace Maker deal with everything here? Zoro, Kuina, let's return, I'm sure Buggy has gone to break out the rum and sake! Let's celebrate!" She raised her hands up in excitement, feeling that she would rather have bonding time with her crewmates than deal with random strangers.

The duo nodded before they all disappeared into the forest, leaving Merry behind with the pirates. He spared them a glance before speaking with a light but clear and dominating tone, "Who're you leaders?"

"S-sir, please s-spare us-" The thin one lying on the sand said with a quivering voice only to by stopped halfway by Merry's glare.

"Answer the question."

The men shivered, they knew not whether the man ahead of them was powerful or not, but the people he who was his comrades certainly could beat them with a flick of their finger. If they didn't listen or answered they'd be inviting death upon themselves. The slim pirate on the ground stood up, fully revealing his bony figure which seemed as if it could be blown away by the wind, he spoke, "Sir, I'm the leader of our crew, my name is Sham."

"Where's your actually leader and who is he?" Merry said with a glare which almost seemed it could see through minds, a small smile crawling onto his lips.

Sham was quite shocked that the man ahead of him had managed to realise he was not the captain at first glance. He continued with a silent confidence brewing in his bowels. If he revealed how powerful his captain and vice-captain was to this silver haired man, he would certainly be able to scare him. He smiled wilily, "Our captain is Kuro of a Hundred Plans who we've come to assist at attacking the village which he is currently at. Our Vice-Captain is One-Two Jango who is extremely adept at the art of controlling minds."

Merry pondered for a moment, searching for the names in his mind. He remembered reading a news article three years ago mentioning a pirate of the name Kuro being hanged. He chuckled silently, for a man who had quitted on being a pirate once to summon his crew again, it must be rather 'important'. He was claimed to be the second most intelligent man in East Blue. This made Merry almost laugh aloud. Nami would probably outsmart this man when it came to capturing money and treasure once she matured.

Sham was rather taken aback when he saw that Merry was still as calm as ever and even smiled when he heard Sham's words. The peacemaker turned to the cat-like pirate and continued, "How about we make a deal. I'll not harm all of you if you allow our crew to follow you to your destination. And in that time, you must not send a word of warning to your leader about us and must absolutely obey us."

Sham listened and thought about it deeply, weighing the pros and cons before nodded with a trace of doubt. This man is crafty, he thought. Who would make a deal of such low importance when wielding such powers. This person is brewing up a plan, something that will change their lives. For a moment, he felt as if the man ahead of was even more foxy and crafty than his own captain. And even harder to see through. But he discarded the thought, thinking it was ridiculous. Sham reached out, grasping Merry's hand in agreement to the deal. "We have a deal."

Merry nodded, the playful smile still dancing on his lips. "Now, you'll all follow me back. You're ship will be brought next to ours, agree?"

They all nodded as the men climbed off they're ship, and joined Sham and Buchi down on the coast. Merry ushered them forward and showed them the direction. After they all entered the forest obediently, he glanced at the ship and with a wave of his hand sent it moving along the coast as if it was being blown away by a gust of wind. Silently, he continued behind the cat-eared pirates, eyeing them like a hawk. He reunited with Luffy and the others soon after. When they arrived, the crew had already set up a large bonfire as the sky turned dark in the dusks. None of the people, however, seemed surprise at the peacemaker's return with a large number of unknown people. Merry sat down in between Luffy and Nami, summoning a cup of tea and a book out of thin air and leaving the Kuroneko pirates stumped in their place.

They were expecting to meet with a glowering band of pirates, interrogating them and ordering them around. They'd even imagine being extorted off all their measly treasure. Sham was even sure that his deal would be backfired and he would be betrayed but he would never imagine a large group of pirates dancing, singing and drinking around a large bon fire.

"What are you few doing?" Merry asked without turning around. "I've asked you to accompany our group for the next day, are you going to stand there and stare at thin air for the rest of the night? Join the party, we only have to keep each other company for a few hours, enjoy yourselves."

"Shi shi shi shi! Have some Sake!" Luffy said, bite on her meat and throwing over a bottle of Sake.

"Do we really have to share alcohol with these people?" Zoro asked with a scowl. Kuina nudged him in the ribs and glared at him angrily, mouthing something. Zoro grumbled before reluctantly shutting up. Nami snickered before dowsing herself with her own pint of beer.

"Merry's planning something evil again, Luffy." She said teasingly.

Luffy grinned largely in return, "I was thirsting for an adventure anyways! This East Blue is rather boring me out! I want to go out and meet up with Ace and Sabo soon!"

Merry chuckled lightly, making almost the entire crew pause from their partying with the exotic animals and Gaimon. Their face wrinkled and paled like raisin. All of them, except for Luffy - who was used to Merry's lack of emotion and his occasional smiles or laughs - , wore an expression of fright, worry and slight disgust, as if they'd seen something they'll never be able to un-see. Nami let out a loud gasp as she pointed towards Merry with a hand covering her lips, "Merry…" She paused conspicuously, "You… You… You smiled and chuckled, with actual joy!"

"They world's going to fall!" Buggy screamed, hands raising to the heaven while the rest of the crew freaked out, running amok frantically like headless chickens.

The Kuroneko pirates glanced around completely flabbergasted. What the hell was wrong with this crew, they thought in unison. While Merry had to calm the urge to face palm and force them into another hellish training session. The rest of the night was full of partying and singing as they say goodbye to Gaimon and prepare their supply for the next trip. The story of meeting and helping their next crewmate however, would be a story told in another time.

* * *

 **Did you miss me? I mean, did you miss my fanfic? Either way leave a comment below, especially if you feel like there are things i could improve upon. Give a fav and a follow if you feel like i deserve it ;) and i might update some when soon (?) so hope me luck!**

 **And also, i felt i shouldn't start a new fanfic without finishing this for you guys so...**

 **Sincerely, the one who made u wait for one year (im sorry), KNOX**


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